


I think I'm in love with you

by unoun



Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:53:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 122,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24337702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unoun/pseuds/unoun
Summary: Raquel Murillo decides to accept her friend Monica's proposal to move to Madrid. The reason? Alberto, her ex-husband, used to beat her. Life change in perspective for this very talented psychologist. New apartment, new friends... She wasn't expecting love at first sight, far from it!AU Serquel
Relationships: Alicia Sierra/Nairobi, Berlin | Andrés de Fonollosa & Palermo | Martín Berrote, Denver | Daniel Ramos/Mónica Gaztambide, Raquel Murillo/Professor | Sergio Marquina, Rio | Aníbal Cortés/Tokyo | Silene Oliveira
Comments: 546
Kudos: 744





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I'm new at writing in this fandom.  
> I've read so much of your work that I thought it was my turn now, you know, leave my ideas here. I've already written about 15 chapters, and I know pretty much where I want to go. 
> 
> This story is AU (obviously) on SERQUEL (because I love it, and by the way, who don't?) with some appearances from other ships that I also like. 

Friday nights at Hanoi were something.  
Hanoi was a fairly small but well-known bar. It was located between two shops, away from the center of Madrid. Hanoi's reputation was unprecedented: friendly owners, good atmosphere, good food and drinks, and good songs on weekend nights. People from around would come by and have a drink or two with their friends, their date and even their colleagues, dancing, singing, simply enjoying their lives.

It was the case for the group of forty-year-old women and men closed to the bar. They were seated on stools, chairs, or leaning on the jukebox. They were playing with the flechette game from time to time. They were all laughing, talking loud ... they were living the moment and everyone could tell that. They were known here, as they spent most of their Friday evenings there and sometimes they were here during the day for a drink or even eating for lunch. And the owner's son was part of the group.

Daniel was working with his father, as a co-owner and also waiter, but on Friday nights, he was spending his time with his friends and his soon-to-be wife. Daniel and Monica immediately fell in love with each other as soon as she walked through the door of Hanoi one morning. She had asked for a coffee and she walked out with her cup but also his number. And at the end of the day, she had a date with him. She was living in Barcelona, but, three years ago, she had a job opportunity and decided to move to Madrid. She was now a psychologist on her own and was living the life she had always dreamt with a great job, a handsome and sweet boyfriend, with her closest friends, even though she had left a few members of the family behind her.

With these two lovebirds dancing and singing at each other, Anibal was looking at them envious with a beer in his hand. Daniel and Anibal went to high school together and they quickly became best friends. They stayed close, and now, more than a decade later, nothing changed between them. Anibal was working as a scientific computer, doing digital stuff in a big company and he was very good at it.

Why was he looking at them enviously? Simply because he missed his girlfriend who could not be with them tonight. Silene was away on a trip for almost one month and he missed her badly. She was a businesswoman and two or three times a year, she would go on business trips for contracts with other companies. And even though she loved her job and her boyfriend, she did not have the choice. But it was not the case five years ago when they have started to see each other.  
At the beginning of their relationship, it was very difficult for Anibal and Silene; Anibal was very gentle, his baby's face showed his temperament in the sense that he would never hurt a fly, and he did not have a strong temper, which is not the case for Silene. She was very stubborn and wouldn't take no for an answer... and so, even though they loved each other, it was current for them to take a break from time to time.

As Anibal sighed, a strong arm gently wrapped around his neck. Andres was the older of the group just for five years. Andres was an architect. He worked hard to be where he is now and he was proud of what he had become. A famous architect from Spain.  
Andres, like Silene, was very stubborn and had a very strong character too. After family problems, Andres and his younger brother, respectively at the age of 14 and 9, ended up in an orphanage. And it was here that they met Silene, who had always lived in that place. While Andres' brother and Silene had gotten along immediately, Andres was having a little more trouble with Silene. With their two tempers, they used to fight a lot. But with time and a lot of persuasions, they grew up together and learned to appreciate each other. But that doesn't mean that every once in a while the two do not fight... He enjoyed annoyed her like making sexist remarks to Silene because he knew she did not like it. And Andres liked to tease her.  
And now, Andres was teasing Anibal, to make him change his mind, and especially not to let him mope in his corner.

Andres was accompanied by his husband, Martin, who was laughing at Anibal too. He was his husband's associate. They met at a conference about their work six years ago in Florence. And since that day, Martin moves in to join Andres in Madrid and they get married. And these two made the pair. They were in love with each other; Andres was one hundred percent heterosexual before meeting Martin and Martin was also one hundred percent heterosexual before meeting Andres too. As they loved to say, they were soulmates who finally found each other. Martin learned through the years how to handle Andres's temper, even sometimes, Martin had called Andres' brother for advice. They were really cute together and acted as if they were the parents of the group as everyone would take pieces of advice from them. That's why they were teasing Anibal; if anyone here had helped Anibal win Silene's heart back a lot, it was those two.

"We've got your beers!" yelled a tall and black-haired woman through the bar.

She made her way through the crowd and arrived at their table accompanied by a woman with long red hair. Agata, the first woman, was Silene's best friend. As Agata worked in the art industry, they met a long time ago at Agata's gallery. Silene had made a crude remark to Agata's dress as she knows how to do so well. After a huge fight, these two women discovered that as they began to love to hate each other. Agata loved to stand up to Silene, and Silene finally appreciated her stubbornness in her way.

The red-haired woman was Alicia, an artist in Agata's gallery. With Agata, they had a weird relationship in the sense that their friends and even themselves did not know if what they had was called relationship. They loved to spend time with each other, but they loved their freedom, they also liked to say that they belonged to no one. They cared about the other so much, they felt like they are together, but they had not officialized it either.

"Finally!" cried Andres as they all took from their hands. Everyone settled down. Naturally, the men of the group started to talk to each other as the women group too.

"When your friend is supposed to be there, Mon'?" asked Agata.

"In a little while now I think. She said that she had a few things to take care at home and she will meet me there"

"What happened to her ... I couldn't have experienced it myself. I hate men so much" said Alicia as she was taking a sip of her beer.

"Do you think that she would come and meet us? She does not know us after all"

"I don't know... But I hope she will. She's a great person, very funny and adorable. You'll love her"

Agata and Alicia smiled at their friend. A silence settled down between them as they were thinking about Monica's friend.

A month ago, Monica gets a call from her old friend, Raquel Murillo.

They were at college, studying psychology, and they worked together in a hospital for a few years after getting their degree before Monica decided to move to Madrid. Even though they did not see each other, they tried to keep in contact. But unfortunately that day, Raquel called Monica and she learned that Alberto, Raquel's husband, abused her physically and mentally for a long time. Monica suspected that kind of behavior from him since the first time she met him at college when Raquel started to date him, and she advised Raquel about it. But she was blind in love and she just asked Monica to accept her relationship with him. Monica let it be and now, one month ago when she learned about her friend's situation, that she was miserable, she proposed to Raquel to come and work with her in Madrid: she would have a job in a new city far away from that shithead, from all the comments at her work and their friends and families and she would have a new beginning. Monica wanted to help her friend as she felt like she abandoned her while she knew that Alberto was that kind of man.

So earlier today, freshly divorced, Raquel was at Monica's office signing papers and arranging her new office for starting her now job sharply Monday morning.  
Monica had asked her to come to Hanoi that evening to meet her friends and her future husband. Raquel, a little reluctant, did not promise her to come as she still had boxes unpacked and just wanted to be at her new home. Monica accepted that but insisted on the fact that she will meet Daniel, her love of her life, and her friends that she considered as her family.

Monica told what happened to Raquel to her friends: their group had a great dynamic between each member, always caring, supporting, and loving everyone. As Raquel was Monica's friend, they wanted to help her in every way. That is what friends were supposed to do, and their group was really into that kind of friendship.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sergio and Silene come back from their trip and Raquel meets the gang...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola everyone!   
> I decided to post this chapter a little earlier because I have a lot of works for uni and I won't have time to do it tomorrow. I have received messages and lots of kudos, I'm super happy, thank you very much! 
> 
> I hope you'll like this new chapter ;)

"I am so looking forward to their reaction!" exclaimed Silene as they were going out of the airport.

It was around 9 pm. The sun was beginning to set and the heat of the day disappeared to leave the coolness of the night.  
Silene was walking down the parking lot looking for their car as she was struggling with her baggage. She was almost running and she could not remember where his car was.  
Besides her, Sergio was laughing. She was quite small and she was fighting with her baggage, this was a very funny sight.

"You are not looking forward to their reaction but Anibal's reaction," she stopped and looked at him straight in the eyes.

"Yes, you may be right... As always... But you have to admit that the others will probably be very shocked. You told Andres that we might have another three weeks more!"

Sergio agreed. Andres and he had a strong relationship. Andres made him swear that every time he had to go on business trips, he would have to call his brother at least once a week. Even more when Silene accompanied him. He trusted his brother, hell, Sergio was the serious one in their group, but Silene was wild, to say the least. As his younger brother, being a sick child who went in and out of hospitals when he was young and getting in an orphanage as their parents disappeared, Andres had always felt that he had to protect Sergio at all costs.

Sergio was kind of Silene's boss. He was at the head of strategic developments and finance branch of Silene's workplace. Together, they worked for one of the big companies in Europe based in Madrid which dealt with engineering contracts in international trade.

"It was supposed to be a surprise and we both agreed to it," said Sergio as he led to his car.

"I'm pretty sure that they will be upset as Dani and Agata would have wanted to throw a party like last year"

Sergio made a weird face at her comment. Not that he did not love his friends, far from it, they were his family. But he did not love parties. He just wanted to spend time with his friends, that's it. Last year, when he and Silene went back from Colombia, Daniel and Agata had prepared a whole party with so many people that he did not even know half of them. He preferred spending time in Hanoi or at one of their home, having a few drinks, talking, and laughing with them rather than having a huge party.

"Don't make that face Profe, we will meet them in Hanoi, as expected" Silene winked at him playfully.

Sergio had inherited this nickname from a very young age. As he was in the hospital with no way of being at home, at school, having friends... He was also homeschooled and the nurses gave him a lot of books. He acquired a lot of knowledge from these books so that he used to talk a lot about anything, almost lecturing everyone about what he learned. The nurses called him Professor and when they ended up in the orphanage, Silene and Andres called him Professor too. And now, as a director, and from time to time, a professor at the University of Madrid, it did not help to avoid them calling him like that.

They put their baggage in the trunk and they went straight to Daniel and Agustin's bar.

Meanwhile in an apartment in Madrid ...

Raquel was thinking very hard. She was not excited about the idea to join Monica in that bar.   
First: she did not know anyone except her. She would be stuck by her sides like a puppy. It would be awkward for her, for Monica and for her friends too.   
Second: she hated being the last one in a group already very solid. Monica had told her that they were her family for God's sake.   
Three: she did not want to be in a crowded place.   
Four: she had a huge ice cream that was waiting for her in her fridge.  
So why was she keep thinking that she had to go to Hanoi?   
First: it might be a real good way to do not think about her shitty life.   
Second: she would meet new people and from Monica had said, they were really nice.   
Third: she would meet with her old friend and she had deeply missed her. So that they would talk a lot about her life, her fiancee, her job... It might be a real good way to insert herself as a new arriving in Madrid, meeting new people …

Raquel thought again and told herself that she couldn't do that to Monica.  
After divorcing Alberto, all her friends, which were also Alberto's friends, turned their back to her as they couldn't believe that she was abused by him. When she filed a complaint against her husband, he was not convicted, and even the simple restraining order was not successful. No one believed what she had gone through despite the many marks and scars on her body. All she had back in Barcelona was her mother Marivi only. She did have a sister, Laura, but could you believe that she was now dating her ex-husband? Could you believe that? Her little sister dated her ex-husband? They explained, fought, and yelled, but her sister decided to date him anyway. Alberto had this kind of effect on women. It destroyed her that her sis, the one with whom they shared everything (well even my shitty ex-husband Rachel laughed) was now her stranger to her.  
She was alone, except for her mother obviously, but she was truly and deeply alone. No more husband, no more friends, no more family.

That's why she had decided to call Monica, her closest friend during college years. Monica was a good person from the bottom and the top of her heart. She was the whole package: generous, kind, friendly, always giving good advice... They stayed on the phone for about three hours as she explained what happened to her for the last years, and without any hesitation, Monica offered her a fresh start, a new life. Even though Raquel said to Monica that this was a big decision and that she had to think about it, she already knew the answer. She was the only one who, first believed her, and helped her. She needed that. She needed to be away from all of the dramas that her life has been during the last decade. So she had called her again two days after the first call and simply said yes.  
And now, one month after their phone call reunion, she was in Madrid, in a new apartment, about to start a new job next Monday, and decided rather or not she would come and spend the night with her only friend and her family.  
She gets up from the couch, grabbed nice clothes, went to put on some makeup, and decided to thank Monica properly.

Raquel had decided to walk from her apartment to Hanoi. As Monica had already sent her a few hours ago the address of the bar, she found that it was pretty close to her apartment. And it was not so late so that she could see what her surroundings looked like.  
She arrived at 9 and decided to grab a smoke just before entered the bar. She was pretty nervous. Even though she had already met Monica just a few hours before, she would be in a new place, with new people.  
With a last sigh, she crushed her cigarette under her boots and decided to go into the bar.  
She pushed open the front door and the bell rang in the noise of the bar so that no one heard the bell. There were a lot of people, whether standing, sitting at the tables or the bar. And everyone was enjoying the evening: laughter, discussions, background music... everybody was having fun and the atmosphere was warm so that Raquel immediately felt confident. As her eyes wandered across the room, she immediately saw her friend's curly blond mane coming out of the crowded-place. She had her back to her. A smile appeared on Raquel's face and she quickly walked towards her friend. She was at a table with two other women. She put a hand on her shoulder.

"Monica" She turned back immediately, grasped, and hugged her long lost friend in a warm hug.

"Raquel! You made it! I'm so happy to see you!" They hugged a few seconds more and they smiled at each other.

"Here I am! I'm glad I came! It's so good to see you too!" Monica placed a big kiss on her cheek.

As Monica and Raquel were finally reunited, Raquel saw that other people came towards them. Four men, who were at the bar, came at their table. They were facing them, having Monica's arm around her shoulder. Raquel was now surrounded by strangers. They were all smiling to her, very charming and welcoming, and Monica soon made the introductions, still with her arm around her friend.

One after the other, Raquel met Agata, a beautiful brown-eyed, very elegant, well-dressed woman, with brown eyes, who hurried to greet her with a hug. At her side was Alicia, a painter from Agata's gallery, redheaded, tall, with a mischievous smile that quickly took her in her arms as well.   
These are lollipops in her pocket? Raquel asked herself.  
The four men who approached them were Martin, a rather small man next to his giant husband Andres, both brown-haired and very charming. Next to him was Anibal, a man who looked very young and had laughing eyes and huge dimples accentuated his bright eyes. And finally, Monica said "I finish with the best, the most beautiful, my future husband Daniel" she shouts and showed a rather tall, dark-haired, and blue-eyed man with a devastating smile. They all greeted her with a wave of their hands and hurried to tell her the formalities.

"I'm very pleased to finally meet you, Raquel," said Daniel as he approached Monica. Raquel did not have the time to respond that Agata and Alicia asked her to sit in the chair next to them and if she wanted anything. Raquel looked at what they all had in their hands and quickly accepted, Anibal handed her a beer.

She didn't have time to settle down comfortably when all Monica's friends joined them and they made her feel comfortable right away, asking her what she did in life, what were her passions, what she liked to do in her spare time if she was more into movies, or TV shows, or books, if she liked music...

That's how she learned that Agata and Alicia shared a passion for art and that they were what seemed to Raquel friends with benefits. Andres loved art too, but he preferred to keep his paintings at home and shared them with his husband. By the way, the two of them were very funny and sarcastic, which fuelled very well the discussions. Anibal was quite shy and seemed sad, which Daniel quickly explained "Usually our little genius here is more talkative, but he's like that because his girlfriend is not here for a few more weeks", followed by an atypical laugh that made Raquel smile a lot. Speaking of Daniel, Raquel has never been more sure of herself: the man was madly in love with her friend, and the feeling was mutual. They ate each other's gaze, understood each other without speaking, finished each other's sentences, and seemed to be on the same page. And Raquel was extremely happy for her friend. She truly deserved someone who loved her for who she was, and Daniel was that man.

"Your evil girlfriend would be here in a few weeks, stop worrying and enjoy your free time my friend!" shout Andres and everyone was laughing.

"Silene, Anibal's girlfriend, and Sergio, Andres' and Silene's brother, work together. They went on a business trip for one month now. You'll meet them soon, 'cause they're also part of the gang" Monica explained to Raquel who was still smiling at Monica's friends' behaviours.

Raquel took part in the conversation when they asked about her and when she felt confident enough. It was quite hard at the beginning to immerse herself in their environment: Raquel quickly understood they all knew each other for a long time, family members, lovers, colleagues ... It was hard to just be the one who comes because she knows one person. However, they were all friendly, and they seemed to care about her. So Raquel continued to share, to talk, to enjoy, and to drink with them. She actually had a great time, she laughed a lot. She began to really appreciate them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter at the end of the week! 
> 
> see ya


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 : The meeting of our two lovebirds ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! 
> 
> I would like to thank you all for the kudos and comments that I received, I'm very glad you like this story !   
> That's why I decided to post a much longer chapter for the meeting of Sergio and Raquel. 
> 
> enjoy :)

It must have been almost one hour and Raquel did not regret her decision. Being reunited with Monica and meeting her friends must have been the best decision of her life.. well except for your divorce you dumbass she thought.

They talked a lot about their life, they made her laugh, they made her like she was part of their group, they took a real interest in what she said ... When sometimes, they would talk about something that she did not catch, Monica would explain to her, or even Alicia. She could already say that she had already a special bond with her. Daniel was probably the funniest, but Martin was very funny too. Anibal was really cute and even though he had not really taken part in the conversation, he had the look of a beaten dog, probably because he missed his girlfriend. Andres was the most sarcastic, always cheering his friends up. He had almost been up for the last hour, seems to be standing over everyone, and acting a bit like the protector, probably because he was the oldest, and Raquel could tell, it was in his nature. Monica and Daniel didn't let go of each other and Monica let her friends get close to Raquel.  
Monica wanted her to be a part of the group, and it seemed to work. Alicia even offered her a lollipop, and God knows Alicia didn't offer a lollipop to everyone.

It was the moment that each member would split with others, having their conversation. Alicia and Agata were talking to each other, as well as the boys about computer-related, certainly to distract Anibal from his thoughts, and Monica hugged one more time Raquel.  
She let her breath and smiled for the hundredth time.

"So, tell me, how are you?" asked Monica, taking a sip and concentrating on her friend. Raquel took a sip as well.

"Well, as you can imagine, I'm not in great shape... But I'm ok. I'm doing well, I'm starting to think less about what happened, thinking about what the future awaits for me ... I have to concentrate on myself and on what I really want for me now.. and being here, in a new environment, and with you, helped a lot" 

Monica smiled and Raquel did not let her say a thing as she continued to speak.

"I can't thank you enough for what you're doing for me. You're offering me a new life. This is exactly what I needed. Being away from... well him... And you were the only one who helped me when I was in need... Thank you, Monica, I mean it" 

Monica started to get tears in her eyes and hugged Raquel. They enveloped themselves in their arms.

"You deserve the world cariňo. And stop thanking me, you're my friend and I wanted to help you"

They settled down properly and decided to toast to Raquel's new life as the others joined them in this moment of communion.

"To Raquel's new life!" they all shouted and laughing.

"What are we celebrating?"

A female voice interrupted this moment as everyone turned to this new interruption. Raquel did not have the time to process what was going on as the whole group started to shout from everywhere, obviously very happy with the new arrival.  
Agata and Monica jumped out of their chairs and went to swallow the newcomer with their arms. They exclaimed and kissed each other. Andres and Daniel had also jumped from their stool to jump on the man next to the newcomer, shouting "Professor, Professor". Anibal was in shock, and after understanding what was happening, got Agata and Monica out of the way to take the little brunette in his arms. He twirled her around and they laughed out loud, kissing each other tenderly.

Raquel understood absolutely nothing. The arrival of the new people had completely turned the whole group and so the bar upside down and everyone was watching them. While she thought she would be ashamed of this outburst of familiarity, it seemed that everyone in the bar was laughing and seemed to understand what was going on, unlike her. Raquel stayed away from all this tenderness as Daniel, Monica, Agata, Andres, Martin, and Alicia took turns holding the black-haired man warmly in their arms, exchanging kisses on the cheeks, brushing his hair and exclaiming: "What the hell are you doing here?" "You could have told us" "Damn, Professor, we missed you so much"

Monica, Alicia, and Agata had affectionately kissed him on the cheeks, Daniel had hugged him very tightly, Andres had wrapped him in a huge hug, just as Martin had pinched his cheeks like a grandmother would have done. The dark-haired man with glasses had returned the affectionate hugs, and on the other side, it seemed that Anibal had finally found his girlfriend. Raquel quickly realized that the two newcomers were Andres' brother and sister, who was also Anibal's girlfriend, Silene and Sergio.

Raquel stayed on the side, letting friends and family get together and looked at them more closely. Silene was quite small, short-haired brunette, mischievous brown eyes that shone, a devastating smile and she was very attractive. She was a very beautiful woman and her face showed all her furious temper. Raquel noticed, on the contrary, the kitten side of Anibal and thought that these two, although madly in love because it was obvious from their meeting, should probably make sparks.

On the other side of the table, those with whom she had shared the early evening, were facing a very tall man, taller than Andrés, so that the girls, even though they were wearing heels, looked small next to the two brothers.  
His hair was very black, wavy, and graciously fall at the top of the back of his neck. His glasses hid beautiful hazelnut eyes. He had a very well-trimmed beard that made him look very mysterious. He smiled constantly, which made his cute dimples appear. He was tall, slender, visibly fit as she was looking for his arms and legs, and his posture and appearance cried for intelligence and elegance. Definitely a pure handsome and good-looking guy, Raquel said to herself.

After what felt like a long time but only ten minutes, Andres interrupted Anibal and Silene for meeting properly his sister. They all laughed and after another round of greetings and warm welcomes, they started to set back again. Raquel watched them and caught the right moment that Monica thought about her. She had made big eyes and was looking for her. When she saw that Raquel was looking at her playfully, they smiled knowingly.

As they were more people around the table, everyone was looking for seats.

"I don't think we have met yet... I'm Sergio Marquina" Raquel looked up to that voice and felt as she was dreaming. She could tell that he was very attractive from her point of view a few minutes before, which was a few meters from him, but now, he was very closed to her. He had the most beautiful smile and eyes in the world. And his voice... He had a deep, hoarse voice that made her goosebumps all along her spine. It was as if she was hypnotised, nothing mattered around them but his eyes and his smile. Everything was a blur, except him. Her heart had stopped beating for a few seconds and then restarted even faster. What the fuck is going on? she thought.

"Raquel Murillo, Monica's friend," she was able to say, looking directly in his eyes. He smiled too and before saying something else, Andres called him to seat down next to him and Martin. And he walked away from her. She shook her head laughing and decided to sit down in turn. She didn't know how this man made her feel, but in any case, it was nice, and unique.   
Eventually, Daniel took Monica on his knees, and Anibal, very pleased, took fiercely his girlfriend on his knees too.

Now, Raquel was sitting between Monica and Daniel and Agata, facing the handsome stranger, who was sitting next to Andres and Alicia. She impatiently waited for knowing new people, even though she could tell that Silene was looking at her oddly enough and Sergio was smiling at her when he wasn't avoiding her eyes. And why does his smile made her blush so much? She could feel the heat spreading to her cheeks.

"So why the fuck are you here?" exclaimed Martin looking at Sergio and Silene, as Andres and Alicia asked for another round.

"Profe decided to make a surprise and I agreed!" exclaimed Silene as she kissed her boyfriend.

At Silene's comment, Sergio blushed and she found it cute.

"You bastard! You told me that you did not have time to finish your shits so that you'll come back in June!" said Andres as he punched friendly Sergio in his shoulder. Sergio pushed his glasses back on his nose, a nervous habit Raquel could tell, but he did not have time to tell something as Daniel and Agata took the lead.

"You did not want a party, did you? You do that on purpose!"

"Well, you right. I didn't want to have the same crap as last year. That was very nice of you, but inviting the entire population of Madrid and ending up drunk on the street wasn't exactly how I imagined our reunion" simply said the man as everyone laughed at his comment.

"So, you did not answer us, what are we celebrating for?" asked Silene and everyone eyes turned to Raquel, who suddenly wished she was not there.

"Guys, I receive Raquel's call a few weeks before so that's why you don't know about her arrival. My dear Raquel here is an old friend of mine back in Barcelona and was looking for a new job"

Raquel took the lead and said mostly to Silene straight in the eyes as she felt like the brunette was kind of challenging her; and obviously, she could not watch the man faced to her as she would immediately blush.

"I've decided to move to Madrid and worked with Monica. Tonight is my first night in Madrid, paperwork, and move are done. That's why we are celebrating. Your friends have made me very welcome so far." Silene looked at her and finally let a little smile appeared on her lips.

"So, to Raquel's new life?" asked Sergio as he lifts his beer, waiting for the others to follow him. 

Everyone lift theirs too and shouted, “To Raquel's new life and Silene and Professor's surprise!” Raquel thanked them; Sergio's eyes met Raquel's like all the glasses toasted; eyes filled with curiosity and hope. And the conversations exploded from everywhere as all of them wanted to know how was Sergio and Silene's trip.

As Sergio and Silene walked to Hanoi, the young woman seems to be very hurried.

Sergio opened the door for Silene and let her through, their eyes quickly turned to their friends at their usual table. To tell the truth, it was hard not to notice them.  
Silene was literally jumping towards their friends and Sergio soon noticed a new head next to Monica. As he walked towards them, he saw that she was a dark blonde with long hair cascading down her back, and Silene interrupted their toast.

Silene's interruption totally shocked them. And it was not much to say, because as soon as she uttered those words, all their friends jumped on them, shouting and turning all the eyes of the bar towards them. And Sergio didn't like being the center of attention at all. He blushed quickly but didn't have the time as the urge to greet and hug his friends quickly came over him. God that he loved these people. Seeing them again after so much time apart when usually they didn't pass a day without seeing each other ... Sergio took full advantage of the reunion and almost forgot the blonde who was with them.

After thinking he was going to die from lack of oxygen, they decided to sit down at the table. And that's when those thoughts came back to the blonde who was on the side, letting them reunite together.

Without thinking and surprising himself, he went to introduce to this woman. His legs had led him directly to her, and his brain hadn't had time to register what he was doing. It was as if his body had left him no choice and had taken him straight to her side.

"Raquel Murillo, Monica's friend," she says simply. She smiled at him, and he smiled, automatically, almost stupidly.

Was Sergio under the spell of a complete stranger? Sergio Alvaro Garcia Marquina, the shy and reserved guy, showing no feelings towards people who didn't happen to be his very closed circle of friends? Yes, he was.

Sergio was the perfect definition of shyness. He was aware of the effect he had on women and was very embarrassed by it. He didn't know how to do it. He didn't know how to handle it. Because he was raised in a hospital, with almost no contact with the outside world except for Andres and his father, not being able to be raised like all kids, so Sergio had problems relating to others and feelings. Having Andres and Silene helped him enormously during his days at college and in his early adult years, but his moments of childhood had been stolen from him. And today, at almost 40 years old, Sergio had only had two real and lasting relationships with women. And in retrospect, he still did not know if he was truly in love as he said. He had known several women, but he always had trouble dealing with them. He didn't know how to show affection, how to handle his feelings. So sometimes, even often, he would run away. 

Today, he is closed and affectionate towards the few women of his life, remaining his sister, Alicia, Agata, and Monica. It has to be said that it was very difficult for him to let them near him. It took maybe a few years to do not blush at their kiss on his cheek, or a hand on his arm. But actually, it was the same for every person, not only women. Sergio has suffered from that lack of dealing with otherness, feelings, and now, thanks to his friends and family, he was healing.

That's why he was so shocked to see that he could be able to introduce himself to a woman as pretty and beautiful as this Raquel Murillo. But the hour of unrest was short-lived as Andres called him to come to his side.

He was following the discussion but could not be totally focused as usual. His gaze was automatically turned to her. Who was she? What was she doing here? He saw Silene looked at him and her just as strangely with her predatory gaze. He knew very well what was going on in the head of the woman who he considered as his sister. And Raquel opened her mouth and all he saw were stars. What the hell was going on with me? he thought.

"I've decided to move to Madrid and worked with Monica. Tonight is my first night in Madrid, paperwork, and move are done. That's why we are celebrating. Your friends have made me very welcome so far." 

Sergio could tell Silene was a little impressed. So she was an old friend of Monica's, that's why she was here and everyone seemed to have adopted her.

So Sergio took the lead and decided to continue with the toast they had interrupted. "To Raquel's new life" then... And even though he'd only been meeting at her for a few minutes, Sergio could tell that she was going to cause him a lot of trouble, taking him out of his comfort zone... He told himself that he was screwed. Very screwed.

The arrival of the two new people was a very good thing in the atmosphere of the evening. Not that the evening was getting boring, far from it, but Raquel could say that the band was finally complete as if two pieces of their puzzle were missing. Anibal wasn't acting like his dog had died the minute before, spending sweet time with his girlfriend, Andres, Martin, and Agata were clearly making up for lost time with Sergio, almost monopolising him as Daniel, Monica, and Alicia were trying to talk to him. “He's my brother, I have the duty to be with him now, go away” exclaimed Andres once to Alicia. Sergio was always blushing at their behaviour which made him cuter than he already was.

Moreover, the four girls were laughing a lot, they were also dancing on their spot, sometimes dragging Raquel along. Even though she felt in her place and confident around them, it was still difficult for Raquel to let herself go completely.

Raquel watched these beautiful people talking and laughing with each other, Sergio and Silene were now showing pictures of the moments they enjoyed their trip to Germany. All of them interrupted at some point to ask for explanations, questions ... Raquel even dared several times to ask questions, “what is this monument?”, or “I love your dress” to Silene.  
Even though the two newcomers didn't know her as she had gotten to know the others in the previous hours, they also took her as if she was part of the group. Raquel was having a really great night, one of the best in a long time that she couldn't even remember the last time she had so much fun. Sometimes, she locked her eyes with the good-looking man in front of her and she couldn't believe that she felt this kind of emotion in front of the first handsome guy she met since her divorce.

Time went by extremely fast and it was almost 11. Raquel decided to go to the counter to get one last round for everyone, thanking them for their warm and cheerful welcome. She left her seat and went straight to the counter. She asked for another round of beer and waited.

"Hi, I've come to help," said Sergio as he stood next to her on a stool.

Raquel turned her eyes and thanked him with a sincere smile. A silence fell between them as they waited for the drinks.

"So, how's your first night in Madrid going?" Sergio asked as he put his glasses back on. Definitely a nervous habit, Raquel thought.

“Great! I keep thanking Monica for asking me to come tonight. She told me you were a very close group of friends, almost like family. I was a bit scared of being in front of people who didn't necessarily want to have extra people around them, but in the end, you're all very nice and welcoming," Raquel says sincerely.

“Well, I'm glad about it. Sorry for interrupting your toast earlier, by the way, Silene and I were supposed to come home a few weeks from now, I didn't know it was a special night for you," said Sergio, putting his glasses back on again.

Raquel noticed that he didn't dare to look her in the eyes, he looked really shy. However, he was wearing a suit, tie, nice leather shoes... He seemed to be as important as the fucking president straight out of a meeting and was acting like a little boy in front of his first crush. Raquel was a little surprised by this but also very moved in a way.

“Oh no! Don't be sorry! Your arrival has really pleased them. Andres is being even more sarcastic as ever. Anibal looked really bad, and now look at him, he looks like a little boy on Christmas Eve," said Raquel, pointing to the couple, who were quite intimate. 

Sergio would never understand so much intimacy in a public place, in front of them were so many people. But he smiled. He was happy for his little sister and his friend, they both deserved to be happy.

"If you say so. Why did you move to Madrid then?" Sergio asked innocently, he really wanted to get to know this woman who made him do things he would never have done before, like talking to someone he had just met.

While he was asking this question, he saw Raquel's eyes darken, her body shrink, and almost immediately regretted his question.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, you don't have to answer, I'm sorry" he quickly said, and soon became even more embarrassed than he was. Raquel was making him do new things, but that didn't mean he was any good at it.

"No, it's okay. I can answer that. Anyway, it's part of my healing process, so..."

And Raquel began to tell her life story to Sergio, this perfect stranger who seemed really perfect to her at that moment. Her meeting with Alberto, the beginning of her idyllic marriage, then the transformation of the dream into a nightmare, the violence, the words, and then finally, her disastrous divorce, the condemnation that didn't come through, everyone turning their back to her, her feeling of loneliness and distress when her whole world was collapsing, the depression she had suffered ... she told him everything. He had never interrupted her once, being genuinely concerned about her condition.

“And then about a month ago, Monica proposed me to work with her. And I couldn't say no. So.. here I am I guess”. She finished her sentence by taking a large sip of her beer that the bartender had put in front of her minutes ago.

Sergio didn't know what to say. When he saw that woman standing in front of him, he couldn't believe what she had been through. He couldn't believe that her man, her husband, had could lay a single finger on her.

“Raquel … I can't understand why he didn't get a restriction order... What a bunch of fucking assholes! If you need a bodyguard with glasses, I'm here for you”, he sincerely says and Raquel laughed at his remark as he was being sincere about it and thanked him again.

“It's not that I didn't have proof.. but you know, he is a cop, and he had a lot of contacts, it helped for sure”, she says while she finished her beer.

“Well, still disgusting. I don't know what you've been through, and I guess I just try to understand. If you need anything, you have those idiots over there now” he says laughing looking at his brother and husband playing at the flechette game with Alicia and Agata in a very funny but dangerous way “... and me” he says looking at her directly in the eyes. She was moved by him and put a hand on his forearm. And she thanked him again.

Their moment had been interrupted by the bartender; the last round was there and Sergio and Raquel took all the beers and walked straight to the group.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another chapter ! Enjoy :)))

It was now almost 3 am. Raquel was in her bed, she could not find the right place to sleep. Turning over and over again. Well... let's be honest. She simply could not sleep because she was thinking hard... for the second time that evening. 

She had left Hanoi after that last round with Monica's friend, they exchanged their numbers and she even planned a lunch with the other girls tomorrow. They kissed each other warmly just in front of Hanoi and wished goodnight. They all decided to leave at the same time, Silene, Sergio and Anibal had left with his car parked a few meters away, the two other couple parted in their own ways and Monica and Daniel had accompanied her to her apartment. She was really moved by their gesture, welcomed her as she had always been with them. How was it possible that people who didn't know her could be so nice to her? And above all, why hadn't she decided to leave Barcelona sooner? They were so nice and funny, and attentive, and it was only the first night, damn it. And she had to get back to her long lost friend. During all this time, spending her life next to an asshole who beat her up and now in just 24 hours, a move in and a new job later, she had found friends, and great ones, as if she had always belonged here. It was so overwhelming but in a good way. That's why her thoughts were turned to them. She felt that she could finally be happy after years of... well to be unhappy. 

And then, her thoughts had been occupied by Sergio. This man who blushed any time she looked at him or talked to him. Their meeting, his smile, his voice, his eyes, his habit of always blushing and putting his glasses back on, their discussion at the counter, the way he kissed her cheek and said goodnight ... How could she have so many feelings in one night? She had just met him after all!   
She'd sworn after Alberto that she'd never fall back into the arms of a man. To never suffer because of a man again. It felt so wrong but so good at the same time. But after that evening, she sincerely questioned that promise. He was so kind, attentive, gentle, and above all very handsome. And apparently every single. 

How was that possible? 

Even though she struggled to find her sleep, she fell asleep anyway and the morning arrived soon. She woke up very calmly, not hurried at all. She drank her coffee, went to shower, and prepared a nice outfit for her lunch with the girls. She was getting settled in her new apartment, enjoying the soft May breeze in Madrid. The heat was different from Barcelona, but Raquel didn't care, she loved that weather. She liked her apartment very much, quite small, only a kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom, with a balcony, but she was all alone anyway. Her decoration perfectly reflected her personality: simple and sophisticated, tidy, and not extravagant. She still had some untidy clothes and odds and ends, but it was her apartment, with a few pictures, perfect to start a new life. And she had wanted to take as little as possible with her. 

Time flew and it was time to meet Monica, Agata, Alicia, and Silene in the shopping mall. After lunch, they planned to do a little shopping. She grabbed her phone, waited for a Uber driver, and she left for the address that Monica sends her on their WhatsApp girl group. Yes, because she had been accepted in their own girl group. 

She arrived almost on time and Monica was already there, waiting for them. As soon as she walked in front of her, Monica hugged her.

“I still can't believe that you're here Raquel” Raquel smiled at her friend and they decided to wait for the others as they were discussing the last night. 

“I assure you, Raquel, as I predicted, you made a great impression to them! They already adopted you”

“It would have been very difficult for me to act as if I didn't like meeting them, it's very hard to hate your friends, they're all very nice."

And then, Agata and Alicia arrived to greet them. After kiss and hugs, they made their way into the mall looking for a restaurant. 

“Silene won't come?” asked Raquel while they made their way. 

“Ohhh... she didn't answer my calls this morning. Needless to say what she was doing all night and what she would do probably all day too” exclaimed Agata as they all laughed. 

They seated at a table, Monica by her sides, and Alicia and Agata in front of them and discussions began. 

“So, Raquel, how was your first night in Madrid? Did we make a first good impression?” asked Alicia innocently. 

“Well, I was really reluctant before joining you, but I couldn't do that to Monica as she had just offered me the best chance of my life" Monica and her smiled at each other. 

The waiter comes to take their order, cutting Raquel off. They ordered, and she took it up again. 

"It was really far from what I'd imagined. Monica had told me that you were nice and that you were like her family, and I was pleasantly surprised. You welcomed me with open arms, including me in your group, and I couldn't have asked for more after everything that happened, so thank you," 

Raquel said honestly, which confused the other girls a bit. They really liked this blonde, rebellious with her nose ring, sweet, nice, and very brave. It was normal to welcome her like that, they didn't do it out of pity or anything, but because they really liked Raquel. 

Agata and Alicia thanked her and told her how much they appreciated her. Monica placed a warm hand on hers, all smiling to each other. 

After that moment of emotion, Agata looked at Raquel playfully:

“Well cariňo, I'm sure you really enjoyed your night...” 

Raquel didn't understand her sentence very well. Agata looked at her and nodded her eyebrows, Alicia laughed, as if she knew what was going on. 

"Yes, as I said, I spent a really good time with you, and I really did need that,” says Raquel starting to eat her food, as well as the others. 

“Oh come on cariňo! Don't play like that! As if you and our Profe weren't staring at each other all evening, and had spent 20 minutes at the counter talking," laughed Alicia. 

Raquel blushed immediately at the mention of the dark-haired guy who had indeed occupied all her thoughts the night before, keeping her awake almost all night long. 

"What? What's going on?" Monica exclaimed almost outraged. 

"Monica darling, you spent your evening in Dani's mouth washing his teeth, it's normal that you didn't see anything," Agata laughed.

Raquel didn't know where to stand and continued to eat avoiding watching her companions. 

"As soon as Profe arrived, I can tell you that he had his eyes on you all evening. And everyone noticed. Well, except you and Daniel for obvious reasons. Andres and Silene first of course, but he was so cute! It's the first time I've ever seen him like that in my entire life," Alicia shouted as if she was talking about her favorite TV couple. 

"Yes, it was so cute to see him avoiding your gaze while he was clearly checking you, and he thought he was being subtle! That's why Andres pushed him to come and talk to you when you were at the bar, he didn't know how to do it... so touching, like a 10-year-old boy in front of the popular girl in high school" says Agata shaking her head, placing a hand over her heart. 

All happened quickly, and Raquel did not know where to stand as her new friends exclaimed. And suddenly, Raquel felt her chair being pushed while Monica exclaimed and almost jumped on her chair.

"But yes!!!! That's so obvious!!! After all, you've been through, Sergio is the perfect man for you! Our Profe is adorable, sweet, cute, and well.. handsome ... And he clearly needs someone like you! You truly are perfect for each other! Why didn't I think of that before" cried Monica as she hit her front head with her hand. 

“Guys.. please, I just met him a few hours ago.” Raquel blushed trying to not look at them, playing with her food. 

When Agata, Alicia, and Monica saw how embarrassed she was and didn't know how to act, they calmed down for a bit. 

"Excuse us for that, it's true that it was quite disrespectful to your situation," says Alicia. Monica continued 

"And it's true that it was childish of us"

"But in my defense, it was the first time I've seen Sergio act like that, and it's good to see him... as he cares for a woman that is not one of us, you know," said Agata. 

“And you were looking at him too, weren't you?” asked Monica. Raquel blushed again and laughed at their attitudes. 

“Well... he seems very smart, charming... and he is certainly a good-looking guy, yeah” They all laughed at Raquel's reaction. 

“And I can assure you that you made quite a good impression on him too, right?” ask Agata as she elbowed Alicia. 

“Yeah, he certainly did not act like that when you introduce me to him”. 

Monica and Agata laughed again and Alicia explained. “Years ago, when I first met the gang, I had a little crush on him, always teasing him, as you can imagine. But he wasn't interested in me and did not respond at me the way he responded at your looks last night”. 

Her explanations pleased Raquel, and she did not know why. 

I'm forty years old, obviously, I love knowing why the man I'm into, likes me too, dumbass! she thought. 

“Do you think that something could happen between you two?” asked Monica, not in laughter at all, but seriously. Raquel acknowledged that Monica had changed her behavior, automatically caring for her friend. 

"Well, obviously having a relationship right now is a no. And besides, I've only just met him. But something about him makes me think I could think about it. He's different, isn't he? Maybe in the future, why not. When we get to know each other a little better and I feel better about myself. Before I let someone love me, I have to get to know myself again, to know what I want from now on, and learn how to love myself". 

"Well, that's the reasoning of thoughts ladies," said Agata after a long silence. 

"We didn't get a degree in psychology for nothing, didn't we" laughed Monica, "but you're right cariňo, get well and let it happen. If something has to happen between the two of you, it will. Even though I can guarantee you that I feel something is going to happen" 

The four of them smiled at each other, and they changed the subject, the good mood and the friendship installed. Even though Raquel thought over and over again about what the girls had said :

so the feeling is mutual...


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I wanted to try something for this chapter... Hope you'll like it!

They had a beautiful afternoon, spending time in shops, making some stops with fresh drinks, and above all, spending time to get to know each other. Monica and Raquel made up for their lost time, Raquel was beginning to appreciate more and more Agata and Alicia, both sarcastic, funny, saying what they were thinking at any moment. Which creates huge moments of awkwardness and certainly fun. They were really good company when you were in a bad mood. This is what Raquel loved most about them. Monica was reunited with her old college friend, and the girls loved this new addition to the group. And the feeling was mutual. Raquel was cheerful, pleasant, always good talks, and they had a lot in common in music, food, film... A new friendship was born.

At the end of the afternoon, the girls learned that Silene had indeed preferred to stay with her boyfriend and that she apologized for not having told them sooner. The four girls understood this.

As time went, the girls proposed to Raquel to finish their day in Agata's place. Raquel politely refused, she indeed had a great time with them but she did want to relax in her apartment more, and her foot was killing her.

“You probably right, and now that you're here, we will have so much time together now on,” said Monica hugging her as they walked through the crowded streets of Madrid.

They shared a Uber and Raquel was the first to leave. They hugged each other goodbye, Monica will see her on Monday for work anyway and promised to do another girl time out soon.

Raquel was now on her sofa, in front of a TV show on Netflix. But she was not paying attention to it. With cookies and hot chocolate, she had a warm blanket wrapped around her shoulder. The fresh wind was blowing into her living room. She loved that atmosphere: being in the dark, only the light from the TV, the windows open at this time of year, weather from late spring and early summer.  
Her eyes were almost glued on her phone. She was texting to her new friends via their girls' group.

Monica: My fiancee is spending the night to Martin and Andres'. I should force you to have that girls' night too. I'm bored.

Raquel: Sorry I guess. I was really tired :/

Monica: Don't worry it's ok. He should have told me sooner as I was looking for him when I get back home. I didn't know that our men would spend the night together. I wish I was invited too. Parties in Andres and Martin are quite something...

Agata: Martin told me that Andres invited everybody except us as he learned from Silene that we were having an afternoon together

Alicia: What an ass!! Anibal is with them too?

Silene: Nope girls, Ani' is with me. We declined. Now, if you don't mind, I'm turning off my phone :)

Agata, Alicia, Monica, and Raquel wished them a good night but continued to text.

Monica: Why does Andres and Martin get jealous of our girls' time?

Agata: Good question. It wasn't as if they would get interested in shopping with us?

Alicia: Don't know

Alicia: Wait guys. I'm creating something.

Alicia spends almost 2 minutes as she was creating another group chat. Raquel gets the invitation, and she noticed that everyone, except Anibal and Silene, was now connected into their group as they weren't on their phone right now.

Alicia: Tada! Now, Raquel is part of the group too!

Daniel: Good initiative here Alicia... we're not used to that kind of moves from u ^^^^

Agata: Well, play it cool man, you let your wife all alone at home without telling her where you going...

Martin: I told him to do not :D

Monica: Why??? I was worried for a bit

Daniel: I'm sorry honey. He forced me :'(

Andres: That's the price to pay when you play dirty to us, Gaztambide.

Monica; Soon to be Ramos, De Fonollosa. Why did I do?

Andres: YOU DID NOT INVITE US.

Agata: Wow! I didn't know you were into shopping guys.

Andres: Not so much. But I thought we were friends... we enjoy spending time with you, and we thought the feeling was mutual... so Martin and I have decided to have a little party for Sergio's return, and you're not invited. That's too bad. :l

Daniel: I'm sorry hon' :/

Martin: Don't be a pussy in front of a woman joder.

Alicia: You're not fun guys. That's so immature.

Raquel was enjoying their little quarrel and decided to get in.

Raquel: I assume I'm the one to blame for. I needed new clothes

Andres: No need to apologize new pretty girl. Gaztambide knew she should have invited everyone as Silene and Sergio just went back. You're missing a pretty great party right now.

Raquel was surprised as the picture popped on her phone directly. His text was followed by a selfie of the four men outside, in a huge garden. They were at a patio table, you could see a beautiful garden behind them and a lighted swimming pool. Food and beer cans on the table made it clear they were having fun. Daniel was making a weird face, half guilty, half laughing. Andres and Martin were sticking their tongues out. And Sergio, in the back, raised his beer towards the picture, with a big smile on his face.

Monica: You're lucky you're cute Ramos. I'm waiting for you or are you sleeping there?

Daniel: I'm lucky to have you in my life Mon'...

Alicia: I'm throwing up.

Agata: Me too.

Raquel really enjoyed the humour of the two women; they were so much fun.

Sergio: He had drunk a lot Monica, I'll bring him back, don't worry ;)

Monica: Thanks Sergio :) And sorry for your party, we didn't know that you planned something.

Sergio: Andres and Martin are teasing you guys, we didn't plan anything. I was coming by in the late afternoon and they decided to set something up. Dani was alone, so we invited him. We thought that you'd spend the night together too actually.

Andres: No more beer for you Hermanito. You traitor.

Martin: What a traitor this little one … We gave you a roof on your head and beers in your hands... What about respect? But he's right, it wasn't planned. Actually... Sergio had quite some fun last night, we didn't need another party...

Raquel had to read twice this message. She did not believe her eyes as she was reading. They were talking about her, weren't they?

Sergio: I'm turning off

Yep, exactly... thought Raquel as she was blushing. Sergio's reaction and the way they reacted let it all out. It was embarrassing. Sergio probably told his brother and brother-in-law about her, and news travels fast. Raquel was extremely embarrassed. 

Raquel received a text from Monica apart from the group.

Monica: Sorry about that xx

Raquel: It's ok don't worry

Monica: Anyway, Sergio had the best reaction .. ;)

Raquel: don't push it. ^^

Martin: Don't quit! Come ooooooon

Andres: He's blushing now

Monica; Well guys, have fun and tell Sergio to be careful on his way back, please

Andres: He's got his bike tonight Monica, mi Hermano is always careful, thanks for the confidence

They all wished each other a good night. But the girls move into their group right after.

Agata: Well. That was interesting.

Alicia: Andres and Martin are always like that Raquel, teasing everyone. And their first target is Sergio. Don't take it personally

Raquel: It's ok girls, don't worry. I'm starting to understand how their minds work... Men, I guess...

Monica: Think about Sergio who is dealing with them almost every day. And on a family level. Boum.

Alicia: I understand Silene and Sergio better and better. 

Raquel: It will get worse, will it?

Agata: Oh yeah. I'm already sorry for you girl 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter !!! And the chapter that many of you have been waiting for... Enjoy!

“That was very low, even from you, you shouldn't have to say that” Sergio was passing around the terrace until he set down. He was very tensed and stressed.

“Oh come on Hermanito, we were laughing and you know it”

“Oh yeah, I know that I don't expect another type of behavior from you, but Raquel doesn't know! That's the point!”

Sergio was upset by his seat. He didn't appreciate the way his brother and his brother-in-law dealt with Raquel on messages.

“She must be used to it because knowing you, it would probably get ages until you make a move,” said Martin as he and Andres were starting to clean their table.

Sergio was blushing, both from embarrassing and angry. He didn't appreciate at all how they treated Raquel, and he couldn't imagine what she was thinking.

“He's right guys... You know what she's been through, she must feel awful right now..” said Daniel as he was watching them.

“My God, she just arrived. I talked to her once and I only said to you that I might like her just hours ago... and look at what you've done! She would probably start to think that I'm a pervert or she won't talk to me anymore”

Sergio's brain kept shutting down, and he ran his hands through his hair. What was Raquel gonna think of me now? 

Andres and Martin looked guilty. They didn't think that when they played that little game. Ricardo looked at them with a guilty look, and the couple came to the conclusion.

"We'll send her a message tomorrow. We're going to apologize and make it right. We weren't thinking about that, and she's going to think we were just trying to make you uncomfortable," said Martin.

"Of course you're going to apologize... I feel like such an idiot, I'm not going to be able to look her in the eye."

The evening, which had started very well, turned into a nightmare. The couple was apologizing, again and again, Sergio was lamenting and Daniel was trying his best to cheer him up. Finally, around 2 am, Sergio offered to take Daniel home and Andres and Martin took them back, apologizing again.

"I promise to fix this Hermanito, we shouldn't have crossed the line," Andres said, kissing his brother. Martin agreed and finally, the two men left.

“Hi, Raquel. We want to apologize to you for our behavior last night. We guess that it was very awful and immature from both us to tease you like that. We shouldn't do that and we truly felt like shit right now, both for mi Hermanito and you. You just arrive in the city, and we should treat you well. This kind of behavior will not be repeated in the future, and bear in mind that Sergio had nothing to do with it. He feels really bad about that because of us, and it's not fair. We hope you can forgive us.   
Andres and Martin, your new silly friends".

This is with that message that Raquel woke up this Sunday. It was surprising and she felt quite happy about it. She was happy for their apologies, and she replied immediately.

“Hola guys. Your message made me very happy and I felt less awful now. The girls told me last night it is the way you are and they love you like that. I just hope you won't behave like that all the time because it would be very very embarrassing. So thank you for your apologies. We're good, don't worry :)”

She did not wait for their answer and she started her Sunday routine, which is.. doing nothing. All-day, she sent texts to Monica, Agata, and Alicia, talking mostly about her new job, her apprehensions, and Andres and Martin's apologies. They were good now.

Monday was here and Raquel couldn't be more excited. She had received a text from her mom that made her tear in her eyes. She promised herself to call her at the end of the day. She deeply missed her.  
She was thrilled to be in her new office, starting officially this new life. She woke up very early, she put on her best work-outfit and makeup. With high heels on, she had arrived at Monica's and now her office very early.

She opened the lobby, which showed a waiting room and Monica's secretary's office-and hers now, and opened the shutters. She walked straight to her office and sighed with relief. She was happy. She checked her watch and concluded that she had to wait thirty minutes until her first patient was there. She only decided to check again her patients of the day fields and let herself emerge in it.

“Very early Raquel... If I remember correctly, you weren't the first to be in class back in college..” Monica entered her office and hugged her friend.

“I'm a grown-up now, and I want to make a good first impression,” said Raquel as Monica was offering her a coffee.

“You don't need that, I know you're the best.. second one! Let's go partner!” said Monica as she walked off Raquel's office. Raquel did not have the time to respond as Meité, the rather old secretary was at the door. She was very sweet, always smiling, and seemed adorable. Raquel automatically thought of her grandmother when she met her on Friday.

"Happy first day Raquel, if you need anything, don't hesitate young lady" Meité winked at her, and Raquel thanked her. And then her first patient arrived.

When Monica settled down on her own, it took a long time for her reputation to get off the ground. Today, after almost a decade, her practice had a very high reputation, she was recommended by many doctors, hospitals, or fellow psychologists. The arrival of Raquel as a partner will lighten her working hours and increase her patient load and reputation ... It was perfect.

Raquel has had all her patients all morning, taking only a tiny break while going to get a coffee from the coffee maker next to Meité. She was very excited about that first day as it went very well.  
Noon had arrived and once again Monica stormed into her office without knocking.

"What a morning!!!! It was great, Raquel! Meité said the patients like you a lot, I should have hired you much sooner." Raquel thanked her again, even though she thought it was the other way around: Raquel couldn't thank her enough for the chance she had given to her.

"Every noon, I join Dani in Hanoi, are you coming?" Monica asked, putting on her jacket.

"I'm not going to disturb? You probably want to be all alone, don't you? Raquel asked, putting away her last papers.

"I'm offering, Raquel, and I wasn't going to leave you alone for lunch on your first day."

"Well, if you insist!" And the two women left for Hanoi.

The two women were in a corner of the counter, sitting on stools. There weren't many people at lunchtime in Hanoi, but enough to keep Daniel and his employee, as well as his father who was cooking in the back, very busy. Daniel, every time he walked by Monica's side, stole a kiss from her, or ask if everything was ok if they needed something. And Raquel couldn't stop thinking about how cute they both were. Perfect for each other.

Monica and Raquel were enjoying the risotto of Agustin, Daniel's father while talking:

"So, how did you meet the others then?" Raquel asked.

"So, as I told you, I met Daniel here when I had just arrived. And it was love at first sight." smiled happily Monica.

As if Daniel had sensed that they were talking about him, he sent a big smile in their direction while someone was paying. Monica blew him a kiss.

"Then Dani immediately introduced me to his friends. And I saw all these beautiful people arrive at his apartment. We were so young, and I must admit I was a little bit scared, it was like meeting his family and we were together for only two months. He introduced me to Anibal first, as they've been best friends for a long time, and I remember that day they were already arguing with Silene, and I could see her character from the beginning... and if I can give you an advice, it's better to have her as a friend than as an enemy. But she quickly became one of my best friends too" Raquel laughed and was attentive to what her friend was saying. "Then he introduced me to Sergio since during their years of study Sergio had worked in Hanoi to earn money and they remained very good friends over time. I friended up with him right away. Then I met Andres, because he is Sergio's brother, and I can tell you that fortunately, it was serious between us from the beginning with Dani because Andres was a womanizer at that time, before Martin at least. He was into me, but not as he was into Agata. She was there too by the way, and I loved her right away. And Agata has been friends with Silene since... forever, I think. Martin joined the group thanks to Andres and Alicia with Agata from work firstly and then.. well you can guess", says Monica, taking a bite of her food.

As Raquel wanted to reply to how good their friendship was and how she was happy for her, she had been interrupted when she saw silky wavy black hair coming through the door. He was there. Raquel could have sworn her heart missed a beat and her eyes were glued to him. He was wearing a suit as beautiful as Friday's, his beard still trimmed, his glasses well set, but he looked tired. He had gone straight to Daniel, kissed him on the cheeks, and Raquel couldn't look anywhere.

"Um, Raquel? what's happ... oh okay, I see," said Monica, surprised, before following Raquel's gaze towards the counter. She laughed and saw Daniel handing Sergio two bags. They talked and Daniel pointed at her and Raquel. Monica waved her hand all smiling happy to see him, and Raquel smiled and blushed. Sergio smiled at them and walked towards them.

"Hola ladies," said Sergio as he approached their place. Raquel and Monica smiled at him. And Monica swore that Raquel was turning as red as a dash of chili pepper.

"What's wrong Profe, you look very busy?"

"I've been in the office since yesterday, after the meetings in Germany, we have to prepare all the contracts with Silene, so I came to get our lunches," he said pointing to the bags.

"Prieto should give you some rest time, you look tired cariňo," says Monica, tapping his cheek tenderly.

"Well thanks, it's always nice to hear that I look bad..." Sergio laughed. "Anyway, how was your first morning at work, Raquel?" Raquel blushed even more than she could and so did Sergio at his spontaneousness. Monica refrained from bursting out laughing. And she could see Daniel looking at them in the corner of his eye as he served customers, obviously curious.

"Well, that was great. Monica and Meité made me feel very welcome and it's nice to be back at work."

"I'm happy for you then. You should raise Meité's salary, this woman is a gift” he said to Monica. “I'm not gonna bother you anymore, I have tons of work that is waiting on my desk, and if I don't bring her salad, Silene's gonna kill me. Bye ladies!" Monica and Raquel said goodbye and watched him leave as he smiled at them one last time.

Silence fell as Monica looked at her friend strangely, raising her eyebrows.

"Please don't say anything," said Raquel covering her face with her hands, laughing and playing with her napkin. Monica laughed at her nervousness.

As Sergio was now getting to his car, he can let his breath out.

When Silene had asked for a salad from Agustin, he deduced that Monica, and supposedly Raquel would be there. He knew that Monica spent her lunchtime with Daniel, and as it was Raquel's first day, he had a pretty good idea that Monica would have asked her to lunch with them. So when Silene asked him for her salad, he thought he died on the spot. His brain had done the math, and he was dying of shame. Mostly because of what happened the other night, thanks to Andres and Martin.

As he walked into Hanoi earlier, his hands were sweating, his heart was racing. And all because of a pretty lady. And also because of Andres and Martin. If they hadn't dared to say what they said Saturday night, he wouldn't be so embarrassed as he normally would.

He hadn't dared to look around in the bar and had gone straight to get his order. And finally, Daniel had told him they were there, and he couldn't turn back, so he walked over to them, all smiles, but he'd never been so stressed in his life. Even the day he graduated was easier. He had spoken directly to her too: well, yes, he couldn't control himself when he was with her. And seeing how she had welcomed him, talked and looked at him, Sergio thought she didn't blame him for the story of the two idiots. And fortunately. Barely knew him and she'd throw him out? Just thinking about it, he was sick.

Seeing her at lunchtime had disturbed him deeply; he was stupidly happy and his heartbeat reminded him of it, but he was confused. Why did he feel butterflies in his belly, had a stupid smile on his lip, his hands sweating, his heart racing, and above all, wanted to kiss her?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola everyone! First of all, I would like to thank all of you, all the kudos and comments... it literally blowed my mind and I'm so happy that you like this story! So thank you a loooot! 
> 
> Then I got requests to post chapters more often. I'll have you know that I'm coming to the end of the story soon, and if I see that you still like it so much, maybe I can post more often! I'll keep you updated no matter what happens. 
> 
> Anyway, Chapter 7, and I think you're going to love it haha ;)

"Would you like to grab a drink one day?"

That's the message she received later this Monday. From Sergio. This text. Saying she was surprised was an understatement. She was thrilled, happy, enthusiastic, nervous, and then thrilled again. It was almost 6 and she had just finished her day. Monica was waiting for her in the hall, she was putting her vest on and she had checked her phone when she received that text.  
She did not know what to respond. Well, she did know what to respond, but not know-how.

"Why are you getting so long? Do you enjoy so much that office that you want to sleep in?" said Monica as she stepped in. She saw her friend's face and started to worry a bit.

"Sergio sent me a text. He wants to grab a drink with me" said Raquel

"What? Sergio? Our Sergio??" said Monica as she took a look at her phone

"Do you know another Sergio?" said Raquel, Monica suspected that she was a little worry

"Well... This is not the Sergio that I know. Asking a woman out for a drink? He must like you a lot".

A silence. Monica understood.

"Oh. That's the problem, isn't it?". The look on her face friend's said it all.

"I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of relationship"

"What do you mean?" said Monica as she settled down on her friend's sofa and putting her bag on her knees. Raquel stood in front of her, phone on her hand and eyes on the floor.

"He doesn't seem like a guy who just wants to get into my pants. And I might not be ready for that. And I don't want to hurt him. Everything happened so quickly. When I first meet him, I knew that I liked him. And he felt it too. We had this click you know, and I know that he felt it, I know it. But I'm not ready Mon', I don't know what to do.." 

Monica looked at her in disbelief. She hasn't expected all those revelations at one time. She expected to drag her friend into a bar, made her drunk, and waited for it, but a text from him sufficed.

"You know, Sergio is a good guy. A really good guy. He is handsome, intelligent, has principles, and is very loyal in friendship and love. He's not the type of guy to go out with girls and dump them the next day. If he asks you out, he likes you very, very much. I haven't seen him like this in all the years I've known him. If he made the first move when he asked you for that drink, it's because you're special to him. I guarantee you. He's so shy and reserved that he must be biting his fingers right now waiting for your answer. I am willing to bet my engagement ring that if you explain what you just said to him, he'll understand because he probably doesn't know how to deal with his feelings either. I don't want to force you to do anything because it's not my place. But it would be a shame to miss out on a great story and not trust your heart and guts because of this asshole who hurt you"

It was Raquel's turn to look at her friend incredulous, she wasn't expecting that sentence either, but more of a "Go girl, go for it" but certainly not that. She sighed and Monica stood up to take her friend in her arms to thank her. Again.

When Raquel arrived home that night, she had decided to order some food. She didn't want to cook. So she decided to take a bath and call her mother Marivi, as promised.

They stayed on the phone for almost two hours, Raquel explained everything, from her apartment to her work and her meeting with Monica's friends. She couldn't hide anything from her mother, who guessed that a man was behind all her questions. And against all odds, Marivi had the same speech as Monica, telling her daughter that she should take advantage of what life offered her and that this Sergio seemed to be a good man.  
Raquel and her mother found it difficult to leave each other and Marivi promised her daughter to come and see her this summer.

Finally, after three long hours, Raquel answered Sergio.

Raquel: Hola Sergio, sorry I was quite busy. I had a phone call with my mom and time flew I guess. I'm willing to have a drink, when do you want to go?

Unlike him, she didn't have to wait very long.

Sergio: It's okay, I'm still at work. I should be free Thursday night if that's okay with you? Tell me :)

Raquel: It's ok for Thursday night! At Hanoi? Or do you know another place? You still at work? You must be pretty busy, it's 8 pm!

Sergio: I'm loyal, I won't go to any bar than my friend's! And I know Daniel and Monica will have a date that night. Yep, lots of work to do but it's just a phase, I should be free in not so long

Raquel: and what do you do for a living to be such a slave to your boss?

Sergio: Say like this... I'm the director of strategic development and finance in engineering design. It sounds boring, but it's nice and interesting.

Raquel: That sounds super complicated!

Sergio: your work is way more complicated to me. Understanding how people work has always been a dream for me.

Raquel: Really?

Sergio: Yes. I don't know how to act around people. You must have realized that, right? Monica always told me that it would have been interesting to study my case for her degree and would most certainly have been top of your class.

Raquel: You must be joking... did she said that?!

Sergio: Oh yes, but I don't think it was mean but more interesting from a psychological point of view at least. It makes me feel special I guess.

Raquel: Yes you can :) But you know, each person is different, and you become who you are because of what you've lived and actually...

And it went on like that until very late at night.

Raquel left her plans for the evening to talk to Sergio by messages and he hardly did anything while his boss was waiting for a lot of files for the next day.

They talked about anything and everything, especially about their work and what they thought about different subjects: politics, music, movies... Raquel learned that Sergio was a kind of idealist and hated their political, economic, and social system. A kind of a rebel in a suit, thought Raquel. He hated being part of a society that only saw profit at the expense of the poorest, a society that only made the richest richer, where men dictated to women. And on those points, Raquel felt the same way.

Sergio confided to her that he liked rock music, but that he liked classical music a lot, while Raquel preferred rock music to pretty much everything. She found out that they loved being in theatres both a lot, but she preferred action movies and he was more into romantic and comedy.

They discussed a lot and found that they shared most of the same opinions on everything. Raquel was not able to travel around the world as much as she would like, but Sergio had visited many countries outside of work duties. He spoke six languages, which surprised her a lot. He was also amazed that she was from Basque and spoke that language, and she also confided to him that she missed her country and her origins very much, just as being separated from her mother affected her.

Sergio came home around midnight, and as he got ready to go to sleep, he continued talking to Raquel. They were talking by messages for almost four hours now. Despite the fatigue on both sides, they couldn't stop talking to each other.

Sergio: You must be tired, right? After such a successful first day?

Raquel: A little bit, but I'm fine, otherwise I wouldn't talk to you so much ;) Are you at home?

Sergio: yes I am! Talking to you is very lovely and interesting, but I didn't do anything work-related, so I should be at work very early tomorrow

Raquel: Well.. today, you mean?

Sergio: Already??? Well... I guess it's true what they say...

Raquel: ?

Sergio: Time flies when you're in good company.

Raquel: and you say you don't know how to act in front of strangers? ^^

Sergio: Well, we spent Friday night together, we spent that night talking to each other, you know more about me and I know more about you, so you're not a stranger anymore.

Raquel: Good answer

Sergio: I'm a fast learner ;)

Raquel: If we talk too much tonight, are you afraid you won't have anything to talk about on Thursday? Or that you might get fed up with me?

Sergio: I feel like I can talk to you for days and days without getting tired of it Raquel

Raquel felt a heartbeat missing and redness spread on her cheek.

Raquel: I believe you when you tell me that you don't know how to talk to strangers because I assure you that you know how to talk to me now.

Sergio: Really? I must be more talented than I thought

Raquel: Oh, yes, you are ;)

Sergio: I'm in a hurry to be Thursday, I want to get to know you even more.

Raquel: you already know a lot, but I understand because I feel the same way

Sergio: I want to get to know you, what kind of girl you were in the schoolyard and what kind of game you played, how you were in college, why you chose to be a psychologist, why you like rock more than any other kinds of music, why you enjoy your mother's company so much, why risotto and not pasta, why I feel so at ease talking to you, why do you have this magnetic personality, how you became this kind of woman, so brave but at the same time so fragile that I want to protect. I know it's rushed and I might scare you by saying this, but that's what I want Raquel.

Raquel had tears in her eyes. It was a very moving and beautiful statement. She finally had the answers to the questions she had been asking Monica earlier. She was so happy lying there in bed in the dark holding her phone with both hands. Her heart kept pumping hard and she felt so overwhelmed good.

Raquel: I'm not hiding the fact that it scares me, but I want it too. I'm not scared of you but of what I'm feeling and what you're feeling. I also want to get to know you. I also want to know why you're so shy, why you have this habit of always putting your glasses up, why everyone calls you Professor, how you and Andres could be brothers when you're the exact opposite, understand your relationship with your sister, why did we have this bonding match automatically when we see each other for the first time, why I feel at ease talking to you too and why you chose such a complicated job

And at the same time, a few kilometers away, Sergio felt immense happiness in his chest, like he had never felt before.

Sergio: So we can take our time and learn each other more? We have all the time, right?

Raquel: Yes, we have, Sergio

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tadaaa! Next chapter on Wednesday, and you can guess what it's going to be about... it's going to be a long chapter by the way ... see you soon and take care ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hola everybody! Thanks again for all the kudos and comments, it literally blown my mind any time, so thanks again :D  
> I'm back as promised with a longer chapter... the date! 
> 
> I hope you'll like it because I really loved writing this one (:
> 
> ENJOY ;)

To say that Raquel had been walking on a cloud since Monday night was false: she was flying, swimming in happiness. And the very next day, Monica noticed it. 

Of course, Raquel had told her about her evening of discussion with Sergio by messages and had even shown her some of them. Monica was very happy for her friends, and Raquel wanted to keep the beginning of their story between them, so Monica hadn't told anyone and respected that. 

Sergio felt the same way; he was deeply happy. And Silene and Andres had noticed too.   
Unlike Raquel, Sergio hadn't told anyone, wanting to keep all his new emotions to himself and wanting to respect Raquel too. He was a bit anxious about his brother and sister; he had told Andres what he felt when he first sees Raquel and he had made that mess the other day, and Silene was quite a protector as Sergio's last relationship did not end well. Silene and Andres were intrigued, Sergio had never hidden anything from them, they used to tell each other everything. And both of them had noticed that their younger brother was more cheerful, less worrying, and more smiling. So they were worried that they didn't know but happy for this change of behavior. 

Both were, therefore, dreading the date in Hanoi this Thursday. As they wouldn't have time to go home in the evening, Sergio had put on his best suit in the morning, one of the important meetings, which Silene had noticed because today they had officially finished their contracts and it was quieter at work, and Raquel had taken out a nice skirt and blouse, and didn't hesitate to highlight her assets... All-day, Monica had cheered her up, made her laugh at her comments on her underwear for example, she felt as if her friend needed confidence for her first date after her divorce. 

For both of them, the day seemed to pass quietly, or maybe they were too eager to meet up. They had exchanged by message earlier that week, mainly in the evening on their way home, but unlike Monday noon, they had not seen each other again in Hanoi. They were supposed to meet at Hanoi directly after work around 6.30. Monica, aware of that date, decided to left sooner, wishing her friend good luck. 

"Cariňo? Enjoy your night, ok? Don't think too much with your head, and let your heart speaks. I love you, you're beautiful, always, and have a nice evening, you deserve it" she said kissing her cheeks, and leaving her office as she was all smiling. 

Raquel was happy at her friend's reaction, she needed to be cheering up because as the time approached, she felt nervous. Well, it's been over ten years since you've been on a date, she thought. 

As she was tidying up her files of the day, she heard a knock at her door. She kept her eyes to her drawers and said:

"Monica, I swear to God, if you came back here just to tell me I should leave my legs open tonight, I'm gonna kill you," she laughed and looked up. But it wasn't Monica at all. 

Sergio was standing at the door, almost petrified, and his eyes wide open. 

"Oh my God, I shouldn't have said that I'm so sorry," said Raquel hurrying to clean up and didn't dare look him in the eye. 

"I should have announced I was here." 

"And I should've kept my mouth shut." 

"I know we were supposed to meet in Hanoi, but I'd finished early, and I thought it might be nice to come here..." 

"It's a really good idea, I didn't feel like taking a taxi tonight." 

Sergio was embarrassed but couldn't stop letting a laugh escaped his lips at the situation and looked at Raquel, who seemed to want to be swallowed by the floor. 

"So, I guess Monica's been bugging you all day" 

Raquel looked up at him properly for the first time since his arrival and looked at him more closely. He was handsome, had straightened his hair, put on a nice suit, and was standing in front of the door with his hands in his pockets. Yes, he was very handsome. And also obviously as nervous as she was. 

"I was quite nervous about our... date. And she made me laugh all day.. you know, cheered me up." 

"She's a really good friend."

"Yeah, we're lucky to have her." They smiled and finally, Raquel took her purse and keys. Sergio walked her to the front door and she locked the doors behind her. 

"To Hanoi then?" he said, putting his hand on her lower back. Shivers ran down both of them. 

"Let's go!" Raquel exclaimed, letting herself be guided to his black German car. As they walked side by side, nervousness left them, giving way to the excitement of getting to know each other and spending the evening together. 

Two hours later... 

Raquel was feeling wonderful. She had been so stressed about this date, the first one after her divorce, the first one after her ex hitting her, and her date with Sergio was by far the best date of her life. 

He had been a perfect gentleman from the beginning, the discussion had been fluid, there had never been silence, he had made her laugh, impressed her, interested her on all their talking points. It was as if they had known each other forever. 

However, at the beginning of their date, Sergio, as soon as he sat down at a table in Hanoi, immediately wanted to apologize for Andres and Martin's behavior towards her. Raquel had forgotten about the incident, since she had already settled the matter with them and, with everything that had happened since she had simply forgotten. Sergio felt truly concerned about his apologies and finally, at her reaction, Sergio was happy about that. And in the end, even though the man thought he had ruined the date, it was the exact opposite. 

Raquel had told him about her close relationship with her sister Laura, and then how disappointed she had been that her own sister could go out with her ex, because after all, like everyone else except her mother, Laura hadn't believed Raquel that Alberto hit her. 

Then Raquel went on to talk about her relationship with her mother, how Marivi had taken care of her two daughters after the sudden death of her husband Juan. Sergio learned that Raquel had been very close to her father and that his death when she was 19 had deeply affected her. She confessed about how Marivi supported her during her divorce and how her mother had truly helped her during all those hard times. 

Sergio learned more about the Raquel from the university, why she chose psychology "I'm passionate about how the human mind works", from her relationship with a younger Monica. How Monica was the calmer one and how they helped each other during that time as being young adult women. 

Raquel continued to talk about her life, releasing everything she wanted to say as the two of them finished their meal. And Sergio listened to her, deeply passionate, and interested in what she was saying. He asked questions, felt truly concerned about her. And that's what he wanted, to get to know her. 

"But you know, we have finished our meal, and all I've done is talking about me"

"And that's what I wanted, Raquel, to get to know you," said Sergio as he looked deeply in her eyes. 

Raquel blushed. She felt as if he was cherishing her, it was the first time a man was interested in her for what she was saying instead of her looks. And she truly appreciated that. 

"But I still don't know why you chose such a boring job," she said laughing. 

"My job isn't boring, and the night is still young!" he said, pretending to be offended. 

Finally, Sergio suggested they would take a walk. The weather was perfect for a night walk, the night was slowly getting down. 

Raquel said "so you can tell me about your life and show me the neighbourhood", Sergio accepted and went to pay, while Raquel wanted to pay her share.

"I invited you, I'm paying, it's non-negotiable," he said, handing his credit card to Daniel's employee. 

Raquel accepted and finally, the two of them left Hanoi. 

As they left and walked on the sidewalk, a calm silence between them, shoulders brushing against each other, Raquel succumbed and moved her arms around Sergio's and held his forearm. Sergio lowered his gaze to Raquel's, smiled at her and Raquel gave it back to him, laughing and blushing a little. 

"So, Mr. Mystery, you know everything about me, now it's your turn"

"Ask me questions, I'll answer," he said, laughing a little. 

"All of them?" Sergio nodded. "Ok... So, first question: why does everyone call you Professor?" 

"That's easy. I'm a professor at the University of Madrid. It's not my permanent job, I do substitute teaching, offer tutorials." 

Raquel was impressed. She guessed he was smart, but not that smart. 

"And before I was a "real" professor per se, Andres and Silene used to call me that when we were in the orphanage" Raquel stopped their quiet walk, suddenly frozen and worried. 

"At the orphanage?? You can't say it like that, what happened? I mean, if you want to say it, I don't force you to say what-" 

Sergio cut her off, smiling at her stammering, as she was a little embarrassed by the way things were going. She didn't think of that when she asked the FIRST question. 

"Let's have a seat" they had entered a small and calm park with lots of trees and benches, and Sergio pulled her in. 

They sat down and Raquel turned her body to his. Sergio looked at her, her eyebrows furrowed, very worried about him. He thought she was cute while she was concerned about him. He took a deep breath, ready to tell her more about his life. It made his heart bumped a little faster. It was the first time of his life that he will confess so private things with someone, even more, someone whom he had just met a few days ago.

"Ok, so I think I have to start like this: my mom died when she gave me birth. We lived in San Sebastian, I was born there. That's why I was so surprised when you tell me your origins by the way. Anyway, I haven't know my mom, just from what Andres told me. And above all, I was a sick child. I was in and out of hospitals from my birth to my 5 or 6 years old I think, until they can stabilize me. When I was young, I remember that my father always worked very hard to pay for my medical bills. I also remember Andres coming to see me when he got out of school and telling me everything, school, classes, friends... Until one day, Andres came to me one night alone and crying, with a social worker by his sides and they told me that our father had died from a fall at work. We were more than alone with Andres, and I couldn't see how it could have been worse. I got out of the hospital, and with Andres, we went to the orphanage, where we met Silene." 

Raquel was shocked, she wasn't expecting this. Tears were forming in the corner of her eyes and she felt miserable for Sergio. 

"Uh... I don't know what to tell you, I didn't know that" 

"Things get better afterward. If you want, I can go on, and that way you won't cry anymore because I don't know how to deal with a crying woman" Sergio said smiling, Raquel gave him back weakly and she shook his hand. Sergio put his hand on hers and continued.

"So I was 10 years old, still sick, in an orphanage, with my big brother who always supported me. I never set foot in school, the nurses, and sometimes teachers who came to teach me. I was with a lot of children my age, but I've never interacted with them, I didn't know how to do it. Until I met this little brunette with long hair and expressive eyes, Silene. She always lived there, and she helped me a lot. We quickly became inseparable, and I immediately considered her as my sister, we're the same age, and she wasn't making fun of me, like the other kids. She showed me everything, defended me from bullies, supported me and I can never thank her enough" 

Raquel had a smile on her face and was happy that Sergio had someone with him in addition to his brother during this difficult time. But she didn't know that Silene wasn't their real sister, after all, they looked a bit alike physically. 

She moved from the bench and came closer to Sergio, put her arms around his as before, and lean her head on his shoulder. Sergio, at first frozen, settled more comfortably and continued a little shocked by the feeling of normality of their position. 

"We grew up together there with Andres and Silene until Andres turned 18 and took us both out of the orphanage. He didn't have the same relation with Silene as I have, and sometimes they would fight a lot. But I didn't want to let her there. In the end, Andres took care of both of us, he worked hard, 3 jobs per day, paid the bills, paid for our food, continued to pay for my medical bills too. He took care of me from beginning to end, and I don't know where I would be without him... without them. After a while, my disease disappeared and the doctors said I have cured thanks to all the treatments I get. I was finally able to have a normal life, I did my last, and, actually first, year of high school with Silene and we both went to college in Madrid. Andres went to Italy to study architecture."

Sergio let the silence fall on them as he was now in his thoughts, remembering the past. Yes, it was hard, the three of us went through dark times, sometimes they didn't have food on their plates, other times, they didn't have electricity or running water. But they were together, as a family. That was all matter. He remembered boarding games with them, when he tried to teach them how to play chess, all the times they watched a movie... even though financially, it was very hard and Andres was biting his fingers as he thought that he wasn't offering them enough, Sergio remembered that he was very happy. When they were living together, the three of them, those were the only times Sergio felt like they were a real family. His only happy thoughts from his childhood. He finally had a real family, living in a household with people he loved and cared so much.

He turned his gaze to Raquel who was silently crying. He was quite surprised to see that she was crying for him. She looked lost and seemed to be in her thoughts too. He was admiring her. How could a woman like her be interested in me? He thought.   
She broke that silence. 

"Are you ok now?" she said in a small voice, almost as a whisper. 

"I haven't had a crisis since I was 16," he said almost silently. 

"Good," she said, continuing to stare into the void. "I think I'm going to thank Andres and Silene, for everything they've done for you" she looked up and smiled at him. 

Sergio blushed at the intensity of her gaze, he felt as if she was scrutinising his soul. 

"They called me Professor because I learned many many things from the books they gave me in hospitals. And I guess that I like talking about subjects that I learned" he said breaking that silence as he was feeling a little bit awkward. She didn't understand why he said that and then remembered that it was the answer to her first question. 

"Do you want to know why did I choose a boring job then?" they were laughing, and Raquel surprisingly for him struggle more against his arm and nodded. 

"Well.. as you can imagine, I had plenty of time to think as I was stuck in my hospital bed. I always thought that I will die young you know? I didn't plan to live. And as Andres told me his life in the outside world, I planned how to get out of the hospital. I wanted to imagine it. I spent hours studying, analyzing, all the ways, all the variables, how to get out of the hospital. Likewise, when we couldn't feed ourselves, couldn't pay the bills, I made plans for us to make money. And I did that job at the company for the contracts. How our investors, or employees, collaborators, would accept our proposals and so on. I also guess doing this all day is exciting for me, but not enough, so I also do finance, planning and studying every contract and number" 

She looked at him and said "I found it very sweet... but still so annoying" and they laughed.

She kept her arms around his, almost caressing, and he suggested that they would keep their walk. 

"You know... I think you're very brave. You keep telling me I'm brave, blah blah, but you're braver than I am. My childhood was perfect next to yours" 

"that doesn't mean what you've been through is right. A man's hand is meant to caress his wife, and only" he said determinedly. Eyes turning darker. 

"If only everyone thought like you," she said, clutching his arm a little tighter. Sergio refrained from kissing her head. 

"So you only have that bastard in your life?" Sergio asked. 

"I've had relationships before him, but nothing serious. I didn't want to impose a relationship on myself before him and I was very free, you know... What about you?"

"I've had two relationships. My first girlfriend, I was with her for three years. She went abroad and I didn't want to follow her, we were still in college and I didn't want to leave. And the second one, I stayed with her for six years. I was in love, or at least I thought I was because in retrospect I wasn't. I was going to propose, but I caught her cheating on me. So we broke up three years ago now" 

"It's a good thing you found out before you married her. Do you think you don't love her now because she was cheating on you?" she asked.

"No, I didn't love her. I think I liked the idea of being in love, I think I felt more affection towards her," said Sergio, looking at her with a smile on his face. 

They were slowly approaching the street of Hanoi and they unconsciously began to slow down their walk as they didn't want to be apart. 

"So, what does the psychologist think about that?" he said

"The psychologist feels like she understands who you are, as someone-" 

"Introvert? Socially unadapted?" he said cutting her off. She laughed 

"No! I was going to say self-unconsciously cute" He stopped and turned completely towards her. She was afraid he might be vexed of her description of him and looked at him impatiently. 

"Am I cute?" he said. She laughed and took his arm again. 

She couldn't number all the time she laughed; she had never felt so free in her life. 

He thought that her laugh was the most beautiful melody for his ears. And he'll never get used to her touch. It was a rediscovery every time, the thrill he felt was deliciously sweet. 

"Do you have another question?" he said as they were indeed next to his car

"Actually, yes, I still have one". She suddenly stopped and turned to him. "You feel it too, right?" she pointed to his body and hers with her finger, trying to make him understand. 

And, magically, because Sergio had no idea how to explain what that woman had been doing to him since he had laid eyes on her, he said:

"If you're talking about that attraction between you and me, that physical and also mental attraction that makes me do unexplained things, like talking to you like that, or thinking about you all the time, in that case, yes, I feel it too" 

Raquel swallowed, blushed, looked down and sighed with relief. She raised her gaze, trying to support his as the tension became greater and greater. And Sergio looked at her with hazel eyes so intensely that she wondered how she could still stand. 

"Shall I take you home?" he said simply by opening the door of his car. She agreed and let him take her home as she guided him through the streets. 

Still, as a gentleman, he walked her to her door. 

"I was going to ask you if we're going to see each other again, but tomorrow's Friday, you'll be here, won't you?" he said, reassuring himself. 

"Friday or not, I was going to see you again Sergio, definitely," she said smiling, she leaned her back against her door and looked at him while he seemed nervous as if he didn't know what to do now. 

"I know I should kiss you now, but I don't know if it's too soon, but I want to, and-"

He stopped as soon as he felt her lips on his. Her soft lips moving gently against his own. He wasted no time and responded softly. They closed their eyes at the intensity of their kiss. He dared to put one hand in her hair and the other on her hip, bringing her closer to him. Raquel put both hands on his beard, gently caressing it before moving them to his soft hair.   
Sergio felt his heart explode, he had never felt that before and Raquel had never felt that before too. She let him into her mouth and their tongues began a wild dance. They continued like this for a few minutes, caressing, discovering each other, wanting to please the other by giving more and more feeling into it, and then finally, Sergio stopped. 

"If I don't stop here, I won't leave you again," he said. He put his forehead against hers as they caught their breath. Eyes still closed. Regaining their consciousness. 

"We'll see each other again, soon" she laughed. He put a kiss on her forehead and removed it away slowly. They held hands and looked at each other lovingly. 

"I've just had the best date ever, thank you, Sergio." 

"I should be the one to thank you. You make me feel like I've never felt before" he smiled at her, let his hands fall along his body.

"Have a good night Raquel" She thanked him again and wished him a good night too. She opened her door and he left the building, letting her enter her home. 

What a night... they both thought, with a stupid smile on their faces, one driving his car, and the other in the dark of her house, with her back against the door.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola my dear readers! Thanks again for all the support since the beginning, I truly appreciate it! 
> 
> It was supposed to be 2 chapters, but I post this one entire and long chapter, a gift from me to you, you are so kind and nice to me... I hope you will like it, I enjoy writing it, above all one part (you'll get which part I'm talking about) 
> 
> I think you're getting more and more familiar with my story and these characters, so if you have any suggestion, what you want to see in this story, let me know! 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy this chapter, and see ya on Wednesday with one of my favorite chapter so far! :))))

Sergio was dreaming about his date with Raquel. He had a blissful smile on his lips, almost glassy eyes, and seemed almost high actually. And Silene, as much as she loved to see him like that, was a bit upset. Clearly, something was going on in his life, and she didn't know. They used to tell everything. 

That morning, he arrived a bit late, which never happened before, he was smiling to everyone, even whistled on his way. Sergio never whistled at work. He never whistled by the way. She looked at him in disbelief as she was seated next to the open space. What the fuck is going on with him? She thought. Her coworkers looked at her as if they waited for an answer, but she didn't have one. She shrugged and went directly to his office. 

"Why are you so happy? It's disgusting" said Silene as she stormed into his office. She didn't knock, as always. She looked kind of worried and wanted to know. 

"What do you mean?" he said, looking at her, always with that big smile.

Silene had to admit that his smile was communicative and that he felt happy to be alive, which made her happy too. She was beginning to let herself be touched, but came to her senses by shaking her head, and said: 

"Don't do that. What is happening?" she took a seat on a chair in front of his desk, crossed her legs, and waited. 

Sergio, still smiling, said that he couldn't tell her, but that he would soon. 

Because he didn't know. They had kissed, but Sergio didn't know if Raquel wanted to be with him. Are they a thing? A couple? He didn't want to rush her, so he'd wait for her to say it. He'll wait for that conversation because he felt as if anything could happen right now, he's never felt as strong and powerful as he did now. The Murillo's effects, he thought smiling. 

"Tell me at least if everything's okay?" Silene had never seen her brother like this, so she knew something unusual had happened to her. A woman maybe? 

"I'm doing extremely well, Silene, don't worry about me" 

"Sergio... I don't want to see you suffer," Silene said, standing up and looking him in the eyes. He sighed, lost his smile a little but was happy that his sister was still worrying about him at 38. 

"I promise you, you have nothing to worry about, everything's great actually" 

Sergio noticed that Silene didn't seem to be convinced but that she left this problem aside for the time. Certainly, since last night he had been living a dream, and seemed to be happy for the first time, he saw that Silene was not at her best, she seemed sad and a little down. 

"Are you all right, Silene?" She looked up and he saw that indeed she wasn't well, with tears in her eyes. A lot of guilt invaded him, he was swimming in happiness and hadn't seen that his sister wasn't well. 

“I.. I don't want to destroy your little bubble with my problems” Sergio looked at her with disbelief, he couldn't hear what she said.

“What the fuck? Where did that come from? You're my sister Silene, you won't destroy anything. Tell me now, and I won't accept the shit you are saying” he said while standing and came next to Silene. 

He sat next to her, grabbed her hand, and pushed it a little. Silene looked at him, smiled as tears fell on her cheeks. Sergio had lost his smile and was now very worried about her. 

“Ani' asked me to move in with him, and..” she couldn't speak anymore as she was now crying. 

Sergio hugged her as soon as his sister's tears started to fall. Now he knew what was wrong with her. Because of what Silene had been through, she had trouble with commitment. Her parents had abandoned her when she was a newborn, and living in an orphanage until the age of 15 was not easy. It let a lot of trauma and baggage. Sergio knew that his sister cared a lot for Anibal. 

“Don't go further, you don't have to do that” Sergio gently stroked her hair as the brunette accepted his kiss and placed her head against his shoulder. 

"Look, we're gonna get through the day's work, ok? And then you're gonna come home, and we're gonna make a night of it, just like we used to. I'll ask Andres if he can come. Just the three of us" Silene dried her tears, nodded her head, and thanked him.

In this kind of situation where Silene lost control, she always came to Sergio, because unfortunately, he was the only one who understood her. Andres as well of course, but not as much as his little brother.   
Silene wasn't the kind of woman to cry over a man, always saying that she is strong, and nothing will pretreat her. But in reality, it was the other way around. She had a huge heart and loved without counting. That's what Sergio loved about her, at least one of the things. She was loud in front of everyone, imperturbable, cold-hearted, when in fact it was the other way around. Only Agata, Andres, and he knew her true nature, and Silene was just really sweet. She had suffered a lot in her life and decided to build walls around her heart, letting very few people in. And God knows she cherished those people. 

Anibal was madly in love with Silene, it was undeniable. Silene loved him very much too, but this love always bothered her. Anibal, from the beginning of their relationship, had told her that he wanted to end his life with her, have children, and he had never hidden it from her. Silene didn't want to have children, let alone get married. Their future was a thorny topic of conversation that always ended in arguments, Silene at Sergio's and Anibal at Daniel's. He didn't understand what he was doing wrong, he just told the girl that he loved all his plans with her. And even though their last big fight was a year ago when Anibal told her that he saw a beautiful engagement ring in a jewelry store, Silene was pissed off. They had reconciled after much discussion, but apparently, Sergio thought that Anibal hadn't learned his last lesson.   
Anibal had come to see Sergio ask him what to do with Silene, and Sergio had told her to take his time and not to rush her. As he saw Silene's reaction today, Anibal probably didn't listen to him. He wasn't angry with the young man, he was in love. But seeing his sister in that state made him sad and angry. 

A few hours after in Hanoi... 

Monica and Raquel were about to arrive in Hanoi. Needless to say, the golden-browned hair woman was excited at the idea of finding the tall and handsome dark-haired man who had been making her heartbeat at an abnormal rhythm since last night. Of course, no sooner had Monica arrived in the office in the morning than she jumped on her to find out what had happened during their date. And her blissful smile said it all for Monica. Raquel had explained to her what they have done, talked, laughed, and above learned about each other. It was the perfect date. Monica was deeply happy for her friends, both of them needed that. 

“Sooooooo, are you gonna kiss him? Because knowing Sergio, he won't make the first move..” said Monica as they approached the bar. 

Raquel looked at her with an exhausted fake face. All-day long Monica had been asking her how their kiss went, and although Raquel had told her it was a very good kiss, perhaps one of the best in her life, Monica kept asking her about silly questions. 

Monica laughed and opened the door. They walked right over to their friends. As she walked, she turned back to Raquel: 

"It's not a question anymore, he hasn't arrived yet. What a shame, you won't jump directly on him" she said laughing as she walked towards Ricardo. 

They both greeted all their friends, but Andres, Silene, and Sergio had not yet arrived. Raquel, like Monica, immediately found the strange atmosphere with which they were settling in. They all seemed sad, and Anibal seemed to have already drunk a lot, he had blurry eyes and stood awfully against the table. 

"What's going on?" Monica asked as she sat down next to her boyfriend. 

"Our dear friend here," said Agata, angry, pointing at Anibal, "never learn a lesson and scared Silene again, that what's going on"

Raquel didn't understand but Monica did. She sighed and drank in her fiancee's beer. “I'm going to need this”, she said. 

“I love her... I just asked her to move in with me! It's been over 5 years that we are dating officially, I thought that we were on the same page” said Anibal as he was drinking again. 

“Exactly! You know her, do you? You knew she'd react this way" said Alicia, obviously exasperated too. 

Raquel was beginning to understand what was going on, and she felt miserable for the young man. He looked so sad. 

Raquel went to the counter to ask for drinks for Monica and her, a few meters away from the table. Martin followed her and leaned on the counter, still observing their friends as they were reprimanded Anibal. 

"Silene has some commitment issues, and tonight, Andres and Sergio are spending the evening with her at Sergio's place... you know, cheering her up, supporting her, brother stuff” 

Raquel listened to him carefully and thanked him. Her mood was down, she thought she was going to see Sergio tonight, spending some time with him..., but obviously, his sister wasn't doing well, and the atmosphere at the table was terrible, Anibal was miserable and it seemed that nobody was supporting him, the poor guy. 

Comfortably installed against the cushions of Sergio's perfect sofa between her two brothers, Silene and the two men were enjoying a good bottle of wine, a slice of pizza, and Silene's favorite TV show. 

That's exactly what she needed. Faced with Anibal's proposal, Silene completely lost control and waited for Sergio to arrive at work that morning. Her guardian angel. He knew what she needed, and spending the evening that way cheered her up. She had leaned her head and back against Sergio's shoulder and put her legs on Andres'. 

"Thank you guys, I appreciate it."

The two men didn't answer, but Sergio put a kiss on her head and Andres stroked her legs. 

"I hope Martin isn't too angry, I've kind of upset your plans." 

"He perfectly understood, and on the contrary, I think they're all a little upset with Anibal"

"That's not what I wanted either" 

"You know Alicia and Agata, they're probably harassing you with messages," said Sergio, while Silene had turned off her phone. Right away she wanted to stay in Sergio's apartment, with her two brothers. 

“What are your plans now?” asked Andres. Silene sighed and continued to watch the Friends' episode. 

“Spending the evening with my two favorite people in this fucking world” Sergio stroked her shoulder. "I don't want to see him again right now. When he asked me that, I was so scared. I feel like no one can understand me, well except you two, and I don't know how I kind of freaked out.." 

Andres nodded, not wanting to push Silene in her decisions, he knew that if he said what he was thinking, she would get angry, and it would all end badly. 

"Silene..." Sergio said with a tone that making it clear that she shouldn't make a hasty decision. Silene was impulsive and needed to take more time to think than to make decisions she would regret later. 

They kept watching the show, and Andres was on his phone right now, probably talking to Martin. 

"What's going on at Hanoi?" Sergio asked. Andres looked up and saw that Silene and Sergio were watching him attentively. 

"Martin was just checking up on you Silene. It seems that after yelling at Anibal, who's drunk off his ass now in a shitty atmosphere, everyone's dancing, they are having fun, look" Andres showed a picture Martin had taken, it seemed that Agata, Alicia, and Raquel were dancing like crazy. When Sergio saw the blonde dancing, he had a stupid smile on his face. At least she was having fun, that's what mattered. 

Finally, after a dozen episodes, the pizzas and the bottle finished, Andres decided to go home. Silene was almost dozing off against Sergio and Andres was tired.   
The older man warmly hugged his siblings and told Sergio to call him if anything happened. 

After Andres left, Silene settled back on the couch and faced Sergio, her legs on top of his. He had folded his and was now looking at her. 

"I know I'm not good company, but I want to think about something other than my problems that are ruining my life, so if you want to talk about why you were so happy before I came to cancel everything, you can"

Sergio looked at her with a frown on his face, ready to reprimand her.

"Yeah I know, I'm not ruining anything, you love me blah blah but it's true. So, what's going on in your life that you can't tell me? We used to tell everything you know" 

Sergio shook his head and laughed at her with a little smile on his face. Her guilty face won't work on him. 

"Well, I'm gonna guess, so... A smile like I've never seen before in my life, so something that's never happened to you... A woman?" asked Silene and when she saw Sergio grow big eyes and blush, she got it right away.

"Wow, I guessed it on the first try! Okay, you tell me now. My talent spoke, your turn" 

"You're exhausting," he said laughing. And then finally, reversing his decision of the morning, Sergio explained his situation with Raquel since their meeting. The feelings he immediately felt when he saw her, the distress when Andres and Martin made that joke, their quick meeting when he went to get her salad on Monday, his proposal to go out, their discussion by message, and especially their date the day before. 

Even if she felt a touch of jealousy towards this woman who made her brother smile so much and she was a bit angry that he didn't tell her anything, she could see that it was the first time she had seen Sergio like that. A stupid smile, bright eyes, a little redness on his cheeks, and he was trying to put his glasses back on while he had taken them off a while ago. 

"...and I assure you Silene, I don't know what she did to me... she makes me do things I would never have done in my entire life, I feel like... I'm over the moon all the time" Sergio ended. 

Silene looked at him, repositioned herself, and took a deep breath. 

"Well... I have to say that I have kind of guess by the way you were looking at her a week ago. You've fallen in love," she said simply as he was expecting long from her. 

"Can you fall in love in a matter of a few days?" he asked, looking at her with any questions. 

"I'm not in the best position to answer your question, but I think so. You're the one who reads a lot, the smartest, you should know that" she said logically. But she continued: "But, with everything that happened with Veronica, and if you date her, I want to make sure her intentions towards you are sincere" 

That's why Sergio decided not to say anything at first, he remembered. Silene was very protective of the people she let enter in her heart. And he owned the first place. 

"With everything she went through, it should be the other way around, Silene." She nodded at that and went to grab another drink. 

“And what about you? What are you going to do?” She offered him a drink, which he accepted, and she settled back on the couch. 

"I love Anibal. But I can't give him what he wants. I don't want to get married, I don't want to have kids, I don't want to lose my independence, I don't want to live with someone. And he's young, he's younger than me, he deserves someone who'll give him what I can't give." 

"And yet, he wants you. He's already made that choice a long time ago"

Martin had been gone for almost an hour now, joining Andres at their home. Monica and Daniel had stayed at the table, talking, reasoning and giving advice to Anibal. Agata, Alicia, and Raquel were just dancing, enjoying their evening, having fun, and setting the tiny dance scene in the middle on fire. A few people had joined them, but most people were watching them, amused to see them so happy.

After a while, all three of them had come to the table to refresh themselves, sipping their beer. 

"Girls, we're coming home, Anibal is coming with us. You should do the same, I can give you a ride if you want," 

Daniel suggested as he put on his jacket and Monica helped Anibal put on his. They were clearly drunk, and Ricardo knew what it was like when Agata and Alicia were in this state. Let's pray that Raquel will be more friendly. 

Agata and Alicia protested against Daniel: “Oh come on, you're not fun” or “The night is still young, let's party”. Raquel laughed behind them, and Ricardo helped Anibal walk to the exit. The three girls were not happy that the evening was shortened but followed the couple outside. 

Daniel helped Anibal get in the back seat of his car, and Monica looked at the girls with her arms folded like a mother. 

"We're not drunk Monica, we just want to party with our new best friend Rrrrrraqqquel," said Alicia very seriously as she leans on Raquel, throwing an arm around her shoulders. 

"I'm still conscious, I've only had a few drinks, pinky swear," said Raquel, and indeed, she may have been the least drunk of the three. 

"And I want to go and see my best friend Silene, she needs me," says Agata as she takes out her phone. She was calling her, but it went straight to voicemail. 

"You know she turned her phone off. She's at Sergio's, everything's fine" says Monica.

"No, I want to see my friend," said Agata about to cry. Alicia also had the sudden idea to see Silene and took out her phone, and Raquel had a revelation too "I want to see Sergio too, I haven't seen him tonight, He must miss me a lot"

Monica looked at them in disbelief and took their phones, a little pissed off. 

"Girls, it's almost midnight, you're not in your normal state, Silene is with Sergio, she is fine" Daniel approached his girlfriend and asked what was going on. The three women started talking at the same time and he didn't catch what was going on. 

"They want to see Silene and Sergio," Monica sighed. 

"I know where he lives, I'd wait until you leave to go see them, he lives not far anyway," said Agata determined, and Alicia agreed and stood up straight in front of the couple, even though she was struggling to stand. Agata smiled at them sarcastically and Raquel looked at them fascinated, it was as if their parents forbade them to have fun, and she found this situation very funny. 

"If I call Sergio, will you go back home?" Daniel asked as he took out his phone. The three women agreed, and Daniel called. 

As his phone rang and he waited for his friend to pick up, he heard Sergio's "Hi". He didn't have time to answer as Agata screamed: 

"Sergio, is Silene alright? We want to come and see you but we're being held hostage here, call the police!!"

"Mommy and Daddy don't want us to have fun"

Daniel took his phone away from Agata and Alicia's screams. Raquel, behind, seemed to marvel at Sergio's voice. 

"Is everything alright?" they heard Sergio's concerned voice. 

Agata and Alicia tried to talk to him while Daniel talked to his friend.

"Listen, Sergio, we were about to leave, Anibal is dozing in the car, but Agata, Alicia, and Raquel are clearly wasted and wanted to come to your place to see you and Silene. They insisted and I had to call you, sorry man"

"Don't worry, it's ok, I will hang on the phone to Silene" Daniel handed the phone to the girls and Silene's voice was heard. 

"My God my love, are you all right?" drama times by Agata and Alicia as they checked in on Silene. Their discussion lasted a few minutes where the brunette had to say at least 20 times that she was fine, what they ate, and what they have done of the evening. 

Daniel had stayed close to the girls to hold the phone and Raquel, after elbowed Monica in her ribs for having her attention, she then spoke in Monica's ear.

"Mon'... I wanted to SEE Sergio," she said, with tears in her eyes. This evening will never end, Monica thought. She remembered her nights with Raquel during college years... When Raquel is drunk, she used to be a little childish, loving everyone and stubborn too. She stayed the same and she was glad of that. She remembered the Raquel from their college years, they truly had the best day of their lives.   
She asked Daniel to FaceTime Sergio as she pointed him Raquel. Daniel looked at his new friend in disbelief Why the fuck is she crying now? He thought. She stood next to her like a little girl who we would have forgotten to give a lollipop. 

Silene and Daniel activated their camera and Alicia and Agata screamed when they saw their friends. 

“I'm sorry man, Raquel wanted to see you,” said Daniel exhausted as he was showing with his phone, Raquel who was leaning on Monica. 

She immediately blushed and waved at the phone as she lost her sad face and her smile appeared right away. She saw Silene and Sergio seated next to each other on a sofa, There wasn't much light, but she made out the two shapes side by side, his beard, and looked for his glasses, which she couldn't find. 

“Where are your glasses Sergio? Did you lose them? Oh my god, you lost your glasses” asked Raquel as she approached the phone. 

Agata and Alicia immediately stood in front of the camera to see if what she was saying was true. And the three girls began to worry about Sergio's glasses: "He won't be able to see without them," "How are you going to read?" Silene and Sergio laughed a lot, and although Daniel and Monica were exasperated by their childish behavior, they laughed too. It was fun to watch them like that after what happened all day and evening, and Sergio felt happy to see Raquel so careless. 

"Your vision'll be blurry but don't worry, you're still very very handsome without them," said Raquel suddenly, which surprised everyone. Silene had a small laugh, just like Monica. After all, they were the only ones who knew about the situation between Raquel and Sergio. Alicia and Agata were looking at her oddly and stunned. And Raquel looked at all of them, as they were watching her, she didn't know why the sudden attention for her. 

Daniel cleared his throat and picked up his phone. He apologised again to the two siblings and hung up the phone after many "good night", "come home safely", "be careful" and above all "good luck" for the couple. 

Daniel and Monica helped the three girls to settle down near Anibal who was still surprisingly sleeping after all the girls' screams, and they decided to drop the three of them off at Raquel's house when she lived closest to them. The trip must have been exhausting for them since they were almost asleep in the car. Daniel helped them up to Raquel's house, and after making sure that all three of them slept on the blonde's sofa and armchair, he went back to his car and drove to their home. 

The next morning, the wake up was very difficult for the three women. They were passing out on the couch for Agata and Raquel, Alicia was upside down on the armchair. The sunset woke her up as the sunshine split right in their face. Headaches, dry lips, small eyes ... a big hungover was waiting for them. 

It was Alicia who first said something "I haven't woken up like this since I was like, 20, I think." 

Agata and Raquel laughed but soon regretted as their headache returned. Alicia got up from her strange position and saw that Raquel and Agata were just lying on the couch, one in front of the other. Their legs and feet were aching, a sign that they had danced for a long time. 

"I'm going to make some coffee and get what it takes," said Alicia, pointing to her head. Raquel nodded and waved to her where the kitchen was. 

“I can't remember what happened last night,” said Agata as she positioned the thin blanket over hers and Raquel's legs. 

“We danced and drank a lot. Daniel called Sergio as we wanted to see them and” Raquel stopped talking as she remembered what she said to him last night. Oh. This will be interesting she thought laughing at her behavior from last night. It has been a long time since she had a night like that. 

“Oh yeah, I remember that. You're quite a dancer Murillo, I think I'm going to appreciate our nights. But quit the drinks please, I'm not 22 anymore” said Agata as if Raquel was the one who pushed her to be so wasted last night. Raquel laughed and pushed her a little. 

“And then what?” asked Agata. 

“And then she said that Sergio was still handsome without his glasses anyway,” said Alicia as she went back to her place. 

Agata uttered a very small cry, of surprise, but above all no higher because she had too much headache. Raquel blushed and laughed, put the blanket on her head before accepting Alicia's cup and the medication. 

"I really like you, Murillo..." Alicia laughed as she drank her cup. 

The three women remained to talk about last night, about Anibal and Silene, about their dance, about their new complicity, but every time one of them pronounced Sergio's name or tried to find out more, Raquel bypassed the conversation. Finally, each, in turn, went to take a shower and Raquel lent them clean clothes. 

Raquel was the last one in the shower. She was taking her time, as Agata and Alicia were waiting for her to decide what they would do this afternoon. They've decided to spend the afternoon together. 

As she applied her makeup, she heard knocking at her door, it was Alicia.

"Raquel darling, change of plan. Put on your bathing suit, we're spending the day at Andres and Martin's. Agata's ordering an Uber, we'll stop by our homes first."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola my dear readers. How are you? I hope you're doing great. I just learned that I get graduated! I'm soooo happy! But my joy has felt down since I've been refused to one of the school that I wanted to integrate in September :/ But I'm doing great, I've got my diploma, and you're so so so nice to me! I've got kudos and comments... I'm speechless. I know I didn't respond to all of your comments, but I read all of them, and it's just that I'm not used to all those beautiful things you said to me! And also, I appreciate all your suggestions, and I'll satisfy you guys! Pinky swear :)
> 
> Anyway, another long chapter as promised, the pool party! 
> 
> Enjoy ;)

"Raquel darling, change of plan. Put on your bathing suit, we're spending the day at Andres and Martin's. Agata's ordering an Uber, we'll stop by our homes first."

That's how she found herself an hour later, in Agata's car, afraid of dying at any moment. Agata was a very bad driver. She looked everywhere but on the road. Dancing and singing to the rhythm of the music Alicia had chosen. Raquel still had a headache from their hungover this morning, as if the two girls had nothing at all left. Alicia was obviously used to this kind of driving, but Raquel thought she would never get used to it. She was clinging to the door handle, and prayed to all the gods, while she was far from believing at any God at all, she prayed that the married couple home was not far away. 

They finally arrived and Raquel was faced with a magnificent, large, and splendid mansion that was outside the noisy life of Madrid. The modern style of the house was incredible, not surprising since two architects lived there. The mansion was surrounded by a large wall, Agata composed a code at the entrance and the gate opened. Their house had 2 floors, Agata parked in front of the house, on a small parking lot provided for that. 

Raquel didn't waste any time and quickly got out of Agata's car, promised herself not to be with her anymore as a driver. The girls followed her and Martin arrived from behind the house, shorts and a floral shirt on his back. 

"The first ones arrived darling! The alcoholics are here!" he cried as he went to greet them. Alicia slapped him on the back of the head, while Raquel and Agata laughed. 

“It only takes one time and I've got that reputation?" Raquel asked as they followed Martin. 

"That's the price you pay for wanting to get drunk with those two," he laughed. Agata and Alicia left on their own, and Raquel followed Martin as he showed her around the house. 

They arrived at the garden, a beautifully landscaped terrace, a well-mowed lawn, a swimming pool a little further away, a lot of shady corners with trees. She followed him inside and saw that the exterior style reflected the interior: the decoration was magnificent. A large living room, a fireplace in a corner, a kitchen separated from a bar, another more formal room, Martin showed her the staircase that led to four bedrooms, several bathrooms... 

"Your house is really beautiful," said Raquel as she came down the stairs. She put down her bag on the sofa and followed him. 

"Yes I know," he said laughing. Andres came from the kitchen, with a ridiculous apron around his hips and a spatula in his hand. He walked towards Raquel and greeted her. 

"So, how's the hangover?" Raquel laughed and told him she was fine, but she'd probably take their deckchairs for a nap this afternoon. It was already two pm after all. 

“Any help?” asked Raquel as they entered the kitchen. 

“Nope, thanks. I'm just baking a cake. I asked Sergio and Silene to bring some groceries, we're planning a barbecue, is that ok with you?" 

Raquel sat down on one of the stools and said.

"Yes, of course." 

Andres offered her a beer, but she categorically refused, preferring simply a glass of water. Martin went into the kitchen, took the last three beers, and said they were for him and the two girls. They laughed and Martin left with his hands full.

"Can I at least do something?" Raquel asked. 

"Well, you can go to sleep. You seem very tired" Raquel agreed with what he said and went to the terrace. 

She walked past Martin, Agata and Alicia who were sitting quietly at the table talking. She walked past them, waved, and walked towards a deckchair by the pool. She lay down, put her dress back on properly, took off her sandals, sunglasses on her nose, and didn't waste any time falling asleep. 

It's a horn that gently woke Raquel up an hour and a half later. She doesn't move from her spot and adjusted her sunglasses to see who was coming. She saw Agata and Silene greeted each other warmly and saw Sergio behind her with shopping bags in his hands. Martin and Andres helped him to get these bags and she observed more closely the two arrivals.   
Silene wore a short black dress and had sandals in her hands and was discussing with a lot of excitement with Agata and Alicia. Then, the two women greeted Sergio, and she saw that he was wearing a pair of jeans, sneakers, a white T-shirt and a green and white flannel. It was only after seeing how well these casual clothes suited him that she noticed she had always seen him in a suit.   
She saw him looking around until his eyes laid on her and a smile appeared on his face. She couldn't resist and smile too. It was incredible the power he had on her, how calm and rested she felt, and above all how safe she felt when he was around her. It scared her less than a few days before. She was about to move when they heard Andres' screams. 

“SERGIO! WHERE ARE THE TOMATOES?” 

“Oh fuck” said Silene was she was laughing. Raquel approached them and didn't have the time to greet Sergio and Silene as Andres arrived on the terrace. He seemed to be pissed off.   
About tomatoes? she thought. 

“You forgot the tomatoes,” he said, hands on his hips, still ridiculous with his apron on, and apparently furious. Everyone was looking at him, they all pinched their lips not to laugh at the situation. But Martin came up behind his husband, hands-on-hips too, and cried out: 

"They forgot the French bread too..." he looked dejected. 

Andres and Martin now looked at Silene and Sergio with a disapproving look, Alicia cried out ironically: 

"Oh my God! No tomato, no bread... How are we gonna survive to this?!!" At her words everyone laughed, even Andres and Martin. 

"We're going back, it won't take long," Sergio said, taking his car keys from his back pocket. 

"No no no no! You go by yourself, it's so hot, I'm going to swim" Silene said, patting his arm, and went towards the pool. Alicia and Agata followed her, still laughing at the couple's behaviour. 

“Does anyone want anything else?" Sergio asked. 

“I want some peaches please” said Alicia. 

"I'm coming with you," said Raquel, putting her sandals back on and doing her bun while still walking. 

Andres and Martin looked at her with a little smile on their lips, and she quickly said: "so that he doesn't forget anything". They both whispered "Of course" and finally Sergio and Raquel left with a new grocery list. 

Music playing softly, windows open, hair in the wind, Raquel thanked all the gods that Sergio did not have the same conduct as Agata. She was slowly humming to the song, while Sergio was from time to time sending eye contacts. She had a beautiful smile on her lips, and it looked like her morning's headache was gone thanks to the nap. 

"You know, you're funny when you're drunk." 

She pulled down her sunglasses, looked at him curiously. He glanced at her, and Raquel could swear that his eyes, hidden by his sunglasses, were full of mischief. "so I look handsome without my glasses?" 

She laughed embarrassed. "Yeah, well, I tend to talk a little too much when I drink... And actually, I said very very handsome" Sergio laughed and shook his head. 

“You said it twice?” he said, blushing and still laughing. 

“Yep, I did,” she said, pupping the p.

While his hand was resting on the gear lever, Raquel dared to put her hand on Sergio's. They looked at each other, smiled again and Sergio gently caressed Raquel's hand with his thumb. 

They didn't talk much and they finally arrived at the supermarket. As they got out of the car, Sergio waited for Raquel to close her door to lock the car. Naturally, they walked together side by side to the store, Sergio's hand placed on Raquel's lower back.   
He took a basket and they walked to the different departments. Tomatoes, bread, and peaches were the first things they took, but as they walked around the store, they picked up more fruits, more vegetables... They always walked side by side, leaned against each other, their movements matched, and asked what the other liked or disliked most about food... it was so natural that it was almost confusing for both of them as if they had always done such a basic activity together. 

They were now waiting for their turn at the checkout. 

"I could really get used to this," said Sergio. 

He had said in a whisper, but Raquel had heard him very well since she was still by his side. His hand still on his spot on her back and she was almost leaning against his shoulder. She raised her head and saw that he was looking intensively at her again.   
In an affectionate gesture, she raised her hand and stroked his beard, and he leaned against her hand. Then she put her head in the crook of his neck, and he put his arm around her hips, his hand softly stroking the back of her neck. They leaned against each other like this for a few minutes, savoring each other tenderness, until it was their turn. With a sigh, they detached from each other and Sergio paid, once he had put the groceries in the bags with Raquel's help. 

They had finished putting their two bags in the trunk and now got back in the car.   
Before turning on the car, Sergio stopped and turned his head towards the blonde who was going to put on her seat belt. With an impulse, he bent down towards her, put his hand on her cheek, and drew her in for a tender kiss. She didn't have time to answer that he moved back, his hand still on her cheek that he caressed tenderly. He didn't know if what he had done was ok, but he wanted to do it so much, actually since he had seen her in the backyard a few hours ago. She smiled at him as if to say that it was more than ok, and decided to bend over to give him a longer kiss. Their lips danced and both of them tried to convey their emotions, probably for fear of confessing too soon all they felt. Once the air ran out, they both stepped back and smiled at each other. Satisfied, Sergio turned on his car, and Raquel placed her hand on his again. 

They spent all afternoon relaxing on the deckchairs, swimming in the pool, drinking fresh drinks, playing some games. Anibal and Daniel didn't come. Silene learned from Monica who arrived while Raquel and Sergio were gone, that Daniel proposed to his best friend a video game night like when they were younger to change Anibal's ideas. Even though they didn't like to know that the group was split, they thought it was for the best: they avoided a fight between Silene and Anibal, and probably a lot of tears and words that would have been regretted later. 

Monica, Agata, Alicia, Silene and Raquel were all seated on their deckchairs by the pool, improving their tan, talking about anything and everything. Sometimes, they would swim too, accompanied by Martin from time to time.

Raquel has always kept an eye on Sergio since they arrived. He'd left his flannel off, had a beer in his hand, and was near Andres talking. Raquel sometimes felt his gaze on her, or at other times their eyes crossed. She liked to know that he was keeping an eye on her, to know that he was close to her. 

Suddenly, Silene asked one of her brothers to bring them another round of glass. Sergio decided to bring them what they had taken. And while he was serving Agata, Silene came behind him and jumped into the water bringing him with her. He couldn't do anything as he was taken by surprise. Under the laughter of their friends, Sergio found himself completely underwater and Silene continued to water him. Finally, he attacked her too and they were soon joined by Agata and Alicia who decided to team up with respectively Silene and Sergio. Monica, joined Raquel sitting by the pool and watched them laughing at their behaviour. 

Finally, after at least 30 minutes playing in the water trying to sink one or the other, the three girls decided to do a swimming contest. Sergio joined the two old friends by the pool. He climbed up to the edge of the pool with the help of his two arms. A beautiful vision for Raquel. She thinks she received an elbow from Monica, but she was too focused looking at what was happening right next to her. Sergio was wearing a white t-shirt, and once wet, it left no imagination, so Raquel's eyes were glued on his arms and chest as the shirt stuck to his skin. With his slightly curly hair falling on his forehead, he had left his glasses just after Silene dropped both of them. His eyes shone with happiness and a smile that would certainly have blinded her if she hadn't put her sunglasses on. 

Monica looked at them, almost in wonder. It was always touching and cute to see her two friends fall in love with each other because that's what they were. They were falling in love. It remained her the beginning of her relationship with Daniel. They always kept an eye on each other, wanting to know what the other was doing, always checking if they were ok if they needed anything; and above, Raquel had been staring at Sergio's body since Silene pushed him in the water, and Sergio had had a hard time avoiding looking at Raquel's since she had taken off her dress when they arrived from groceries. Monica kept thinking that day they were close to jump on each other if they continued to look at each other like that. 

"Well, I'm going to do something over there," Monica said, pointing to the backyard. She left them alone. 

"Can't it be easy to stay with that soaked jeans?" She said after a short silence pointing to the jeans he was wearing. 

“Yeah, you're right, it is quite uncomfortable,” he said while pulling a bit on them. Which brought it down a little more, revealing a bit of skin below his navel and white boxer. Raquel swallowed. Why the fuck did I say that? She saw a few his abs, the V of his hips, a bit of trail of dark hair, and she suddenly looked away, a lot ashamed. 

“Hermanito, I get you a towel. You should go upstairs and change if you want," 

Andres said as he approached and put a towel around his shoulders. Raquel subconsciously thanked him for his intervention, she seemed to catch fire on the spot. 

"Gracias Andres," said Sergio as he took the towel and dried his hair with. He got up and went to the house. Raquel followed him with her eyes and caught a glimpse at his naked back as he took off his shirt. His very naked and strongly muscled back and shoulders. She swallowed hard.

“You should be more discreet or at least wipe the drool from the corner of your mouth” laughed Andres and Raquel blushed so much. She gently punched him in the shoulder and he laughed. "But if it makes you feel any better, he's not very discreet either" and Raquel blushes even more and Andres laughs even more. 

A few moments later...

Everyone had deserted the pool, Agata and Alicia were sharing a cigarette on the terrace, Martin and Raquel were chatting quietly next to them, Andres and Silene were preparing the barbecue and Sergio and Monica were in the kitchen preparing the meal. 

As the conversation progressed, Raquel found herself observing the exchange between Alicia, Agata, and Martin talking about art and women. Obviously, they didn't agree so much. She suspected Martin to get on their nerves on purpose. She shook her head and finally decided to join Sergio and her friend inside, wanting to help. 

As she walked through the men's living room, her gaze drifted to the nearby wall facing the fireplace. These walls were dedicated to pictures of the couple, and certainly to their family and friends. She recognised a younger Martin with some people, probably his family because of their closeness and looks, pictures of the couple on a trip, or of them with the group. Several caught her attention: she noticed that they had gone on vacation together several times while they were all posing on a beach, or during hiking, at a table of restaurants, some of them younger and some of them recent. The common point with all these photos was that they all had a big smile on their face. 

One rather old black and white picture caught her attention and warmed her heart: a picture of the three siblings together in the middle of an old living room. Andres was on the right, recognisable by his height, and the way he stood, Silene was in the middle, long brown hair but eyes still the same, full of mischief and fury, and finally, Sergio was on the left. No beard on his sweet childish face, but the same recognizable smile and dimples. He was skinny and yet seemed really happy all three of us. They couldn't have been more than 15 and Andres 20. 

Right next to this picture, another black and white picture caught her eye: a couple in their forties with a young boy, no older than 4 or 5 years old, in a garden under a tree. Raquel noticed that the man looked strangely like Andres and that the woman, beautiful and very pregnant, had the same smile as Sergio. So these were the parents of Andres and Sergio... They looked very much in love, and the boy seemed very happy. 

Finally, her gaze drifted to another picture much more recent and large. A picture of all her new friends in front of a beautiful house by the ocean. Probably on a trip together from some time ago. They were all there, Monica and Daniel on the right in each other's arms, a big smile on their lips. Next to them, Andres and Martin, as mischievous as ever even in front of the camera. In front of them, Anibal was carrying Silene on his back and both seemed really happy. What a waste... they are so cute together, thought Raquel. Next to Andres and Martin, Agata had put her hand on Martin's shoulder and was looking at Anibal and Silene laughing, Alicia was next to her, a lollipop in her mouth, laughing at the scene too. And finally, her gaze fell on a very beautiful woman, brunette with long curly hair, green eyes, who was standing behind Sergio. She had her two arms wrapped around his waist, her head resting on his shoulder. Sergio had put his hands on hers and was looking at her lovingly. She felt sad at their loving embrace, and... jealous? 

“This is Veronica, his ex” She jumped as soon as she heard her voice and turned around. Silene looked at her with a big smile on her face, happy to have caught Raquel in this state of jealousy. 

"They were together for six years. They met through work during a meeting, she just showed up, and you know... love at first sight. He thought she was the one. Beautiful, kind, lovely, generous... they were really cute together, don't you think?" she said crossing her arms and looking at the picture behind Raquel, always with a sly smile on her face. 

"Why are you telling me this?" Raquel asked, she didn't like the way the conversation was going. As if Silene was gauging her, trying to play with her. 

"She showed up, and he fell in love right away, thinking only of her and just her. We all fell for her, after all, Sergio was happy, and it was what mattered. They were cute, practically made for each other. Doesn't that remind you of someone? Anyway, just when he wanted to propose to her, he found out she was cheating on him. She played with his feelings for years, and I had to help my brother through depression and shit. All I'm just saying I wouldn't let another woman break his heart. Am I clear?”

Raquel didn't know how to react: should she be happy that the sister of the man she liked was protecting him, or should she be annoyed that she came to talk to her in that tone? Either way, she didn't like the way she spoke to her. She made a promise to herself not a long time ago to be respected and treated right by men, but that also means by women. 

"I respect that you want to defend your brother and I find it kind of nice, but don't you think you're disrespecting me by coming over here and talking to me like that tone of yours? If something's going to happen between Sergio and me, it's our business. Will you mind your own relationship that seems to be in real trouble instead of talking about mine?" 

Silene really didn't expect this from Raquel and the blonde saw anger in the brunette's eyes. Apparently, talking about Anibal was her weakness and she didn't like to be treated that way. But at the same time, why did she come like that? To provoke her? And for what? 

“Who the fuck you think you are to talk to me like that?” said Silene. Raquel saw red. 

“And who do you think you are, huh?” 

"Well... We're not going to be friends" Silene clenched her fists, leaned over to Raquel and looked her straight in the eyes. 

"What a waste," said Raquel ironically, still not afraid of her. 

As the two women judged each other by the look in their eyes and did not want to give in, Monica arrived in the room and was firstly delighted to see them together. 

"Raquel!!! We've prepared the cocktail for tonight, with famous Andres' recipe, those famous tomatoes and cheese, you're going to enjoy it" she says, approaching. 

She didn't notice first the tension between the two since Raquel had immediately turned to her friend smiling. Silene continued to look at her furiously as Monica put one arm around Raquel's shoulders. 

"Is everything all right here?" Monica asked, looking at the two women. She sensed that they were not just happily discussing, just by looking at Silene. 

Both women looked straight into each other's eyes one last time, Monica was looking at each other, really wondering if everything was fine. Finally, Raquel let herself be led by Monica to the terrace and Silene stood facing the wall, thoughts overwhelmed her. 

The whole evening had gone without a hitch... She was seated between Monica and Sergio, Martin and Andres were both face to face at each end of the table. Opposite Raquel were Alicia, Agata and Silene. The last one hadn't said a word all evening, hadn't taken part in the conversation and was looking at Raquel with lightning bolts in her eyes when their gazes met. The meal had been delicious, and despite Silene's mood, the atmosphere had been very good, loud laughter, conversations that never stopped. So, if you take away the fact that Silene could kill her with her eyes, Raquel enjoyed the evening. Everyone had thought that Silene's mood was due to her problems with Anibal, so they hadn't been worried that much. 

At one point during the meal, after a wild laugh thanks to Martin, Raquel leaned over Sergio, wiped her tears of laughter. Mechanically, he had put a hand on her head, and kissed her on the hair. After this brief moment of sweetness, he had looked at her tenderly, he had put his hand on her thigh and it had remained there for a very long time, to her great pleasure. From time to time, he caressed the thin material of her dress with his thumb, and she would reply by putting her hand over his and caressed it too. Even though Raquel had been hypnotised by his gesture, which had given her shivers all along her spine, she had seen Silene's reaction from the corner of her eye. 

At first, she had wanted to get away from Sergio's hand, embarrassed by Silene's murderous look. But as he continued his delicious move with his thumb, so soft, kind, affectionate and pleasant, she couldn't do without the familiarity that gave her so much pleasure. To hell with what Silene was thinking! Raquel thought. She was enjoying the moment. After all, she had been used to the hands of a man hitting her. And there, the hand of the man she liked gave her tender and very affectionate moments. Finally she felt tenderness and affection from the hands of a loving man. Of course she was going to enjoy it. Damn it, they were 40 years old, why should she feel threatened for what she wanted to feel? 

It was around midnight, the evening was coming to an end. Alicia, Agata and Raquel, all three of them already tired from their evening before, were starting to want to go home. Andres had teased, as he didn't want to miss an opportunity. 

"Shall we go home now?" Alicia asked Raquel and Agata as they got up. 

Raquel, still with Sergio's hand on her thigh, looked up. No way I'm getting back in that car with Agata behind the wheel, Raquel thought. 

"I like you very much Agata, but I'm too young to die," everyone laughed. They were all aware of her bad conduct skill. 

"I see you've been traumatised by the way she drives... and one more scared of you, congrats Agata, that's a record" clapped Andres.

Agata put her hand on her heart and pretended to be hurt, "As you wish blondie, but you're walking home then" 

At his words, Sergio's hand squeeze her thigh a little, reassuring. 

"Well, I'll bring her back home," said Sergio, smiling. 

"Of course you will," whispered Martin, knowingly giving his husband a look. 

"I'll come home with you Agat'" said Silene, getting up and getting her things.

Sergio and Andres looked at each other after what Silene had said, they probably thought she would come back home with her brother. Sergio got up in turn and joined his sister who was taking her things by the pool. Raquel greeted her friends, keeping an eye on the two siblings. 

Monica and Raquel waited for Sergio in his car, Agata and Alicia waited for Silene in their car too. After a few minutes, Silene arrived, greeted Monica and Raquel from afar, more Monica than Raquel by the way, and the girls left. They honked one last time and the car disappeared at the corner of the wall. Andres, Sergio and Martin arrived in their turn, they greeted each other one last time, and finally they left too. 

The ride, at first, was a little quiet. The two women could see that Sergio was worried about his short discussion with Silene. Raquel was looking out the window or sending glances to Monica who was playing with her nails in the back. Monica spoke up, she was fed up with the sad atmosphere.

"You know Silene, it's only a matter of time. Anibal will apologise and they'll get back together, just like before." 

"Oh, I know about that. I just feel like it wasn't the only thing that bothered her tonight," he said, continuing to think, keeping his eyes on the road. 

Monica looked at Raquel, she suspected that this change in behavior was taking place just after she caught the two women talking. Raquel had seen in the rearview mirror that Monica was looking at her, and she tried to ignore it. 

Monica could see that this was annoying her friends and decided to change the subject and talk about her wedding preparations. After all, she and Daniel were getting married at the end of the summer. And even though they were early in the preparations, and everything was going well, she was still stressed. And Sergio and Raquel engaged the discussion too, glad to think about something else for a moment. 

Sergio first dropped Monica off at her house, as she was the first to. She thanked him, greeted her friends properly and left. 

Once Monica locked her door, Sergio went back on the road to Raquel's home. Raquel was uncomfortable, he was always silent, and even if he didn't know it, it was her fault. Well, not her fault directly, but she was a bit responsible for this situation. Raquel thought it was Silene's fault and the way she had spoken to her. Indeed, Raquel shouldn't have talked to Silene about her situation with Anibal, it was a low blow but she had threatened Raquel and her relationship with Sergio. She couldn't let her speak to her that way. 

But her gaze turned again to Sergio, focused on the road, and his thoughts towards Silene. She wanted to cheer him up, because after all, he had been very nice to her all day long; their little sweet moment at the supermarket, their kiss in the car, all the caresses at the table, the familiarity of each other's presence ... their evening had to end well. 

"I'm not good company tonight and I'm sorry," he said as he continued to watch the road. 

His voice surprised her and she turned back to him. 

"Don't worry, I perfectly understand. You're close to your siblings, it's normal that you're worried about her. You're someone that cares deeply for his loved ones, I know that" 

She started the first move and put her hand on his again, just like a few hours before. But wanting to bring comfort this time. 

"You're perfect" he smiled at her. She laughed and corrected him that she wasn't perfect but understanding and that it was her job. 

"I should rather keep my bad mood and enjoy having you by my side, because after all, I still haven't asked you on a second date," he smiled again, which warmed Raquel's heart. She loved to see him smile. 

"So you think I might say no to a second date then?" 

"I hope you'll say yes from the bottom of my heart" She smiled and let a few seconds before replying:

“I'll say yes," he turned to her for the first time, happy. 

"I don't know what I did to cross your path, but I must have been a very good person in another life," she laughed at what he said and he continued, "I have plans with Dan and Anibal tomorrow, but next week after work we can meet for coffee or even on the next weekend, everything you want," he asked with great hope in his voice.

"It should be possible," she said, a little enigmatic at first, but then laughed. Of course she had some free time for him. 

"That's a second date then," he said. She confirmed it. 

"It's a second date." 

He parked in front of her building and turned towards her.

“The last time I took you back home, we kissed," he said as he walked to her door. She let him grab her hand and intertwined their fingers. 

"I'd rather say you didn't know if you should kiss me and I initiated the kiss," he laughed and pushed his glasses up his nose, embarrassed. 

"Well... yes... you remembered well" They laughed and finally their eyes connected as they arrived in front of her door. 

“I remember it very very well," she said, hinting at their discussion a few hours earlier. 

They didn't say anything more, their smile got lost and finally it was Sergio who bent down towards her lips. She licked her lips and as he was looking between her eyes and her lips, he took that as an invitation that he happily get. As soon as their lips met, he put one hand behind her head, the other playing with her hair, gently caressing it. She put both hands on his soft beard. She had never been fond of beard on men before. But he was so beautiful, soft, well-trimmed, and it looked so good on him. Sergio thought that every time their lips met, it was a discovery each time. And Raquel had never felt such a connection with anyone before, knowing exactly what the other wanted. Their mouths opened, letting their tongues entering. Raquel played with his lower lip, and he teased her too. She pushed a light moan that drove him crazy. They kissed again for a few more minutes and even though they wanted to continue and continue, they lacked air. They walked away and smiled. 

"I'm waiting for your message then," she said as she smoothed his shirt. 

"You won't have to wait long," they smiled again, and Sergio left before sending her another look of promise. 

The next day, Raquel spend the entire day taking care of her and called her mother to check up on her. Raquel gave news of Monica, and Raquel also spoke about Sergio and the evolution of their "relationship". Marivi wanted at all costs to see Monica again and her future husband, but also to see the man who now made her daughter's heartbeat so fast. "I have to thank the gentleman who made you break your promise. You deserve to live true love, hija, you deserve to be happy," she said. 

And she kept it in her head. Her mom's words were repeating again and again. She finally understood that she deserved a happy ending. She knew that the ghost of her past would probably haunt her for a long time, what Alberto did to her was wrong. Very wrong. She wasn't responsible for it. But all men weren't like him. Sergio had been a perfect gentleman since they met. He treated her right. He made her feel like she was so precious. She knew that she could trust him, and... love him. She fucking deserved Sergio's attention and love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter on Saturday and it will be about their second date... See u guys, take care! :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raquel and Sergio's second date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone ! I hope you're ok ? It's Saturday, and it's chapter day !
> 
> Once again, thank you for your kind words, it allows me to write more and more and to please you ! This fandom has the nicest people, I swear !!  
> One more chapter, as promised, their second date. I hope you like it. I'm pretty sure you'll hate me when you're going to reach the end of this chapter.. haha ^^ Give me your impressions, I want to hear it ;)
> 
> See you on Wednesday, and take care guys :)

It's been a quiet week for the psychologist. Patients kept coming in, and she could already tell that she was getting her bearings, patients were getting used to her, like her, and Raquel enjoyed working with Monica who was always in a good mood. Not to mention Meite who kept asking her if she wanted something. This woman was a gem. She truly felt so fucking lucky after what she'd been through. 

She got a little closer to Alicia, with whom they discovered they had a lot in common. One night, the redhead came to her house with a bottle of wine in her hand. And they had had a wonderful evening, as if they'd been friends forever. Alicia had confided about her relationship with Agata, and Raquel had even learned that Alicia had been married but that German, her husband, had died in a car accident. Logically, Raquel had talked about her marriage too and especially about her feelings for Sergio. Needless to say, Alicia was very very happy for her two friends and she knew that Raquel and Sergio were meant to be together. "You know when I realized that? When I saw you coming back from groceries the other night at Andres and Martin's. I've never seen such a smile on Sergio's face, and your eyes.... both of you... eyes never lie"

Also, almost every day, she had spoken to Sergio by messages. Whether it was to ask how work was going, what they were doing the evening, a joke heard at work... It had become normal to see her cell phone blinking indicating a new message from him. And every time, every fucking time, Raquel had a smile on her face and her heart was jumping up and down. 

Of course, Sergio had told her that he had an idea for their second date and that he hoped she would enjoy it. He wanted it to be a surprise and Raquel wanted to know what he was planning for her.  
So she was in a hurry to get to their second date, but she was quite anxious because she didn't know what they would do. 

Sergio: I'll pick you up Saturday at 8am in front of your house. Bring some trainers and a comfortable outfit. I won't give you any more clues.

That's what Sergio sent her Thursday night. She hadn't stopped harassing him, and Sergio had finally given her this message as a clue. It had made her even more suspicious. And why so early? Where were they going? And what would they do? 

Raquel: Usually they ask me to put on a nice dress, and they pick me up for dinner around 8pm

Sergio: I'm not like the others, I thought you knew

Oh God knows she perfectly knew that.

On Friday night, only Sergio, Raquel, Daniel and Monica had met in Hanoi. Andres and Martin had an evening planned for work, as did Agata who had an appointment with her artists, and Alicia was one of them. And, according to Sergio, Anibal had invited Silene to dinner on the same night for apologies. 

So Sergio and Daniel had spent the evening listening to Monica and Raquel's college stories, and the men told their college anecdotes too. Then the discussion had changed to the upcoming wedding, and it seemed that the most stressed out of the two was finally Daniel. From time to time, Raquel had gestures of tenderness towards Sergio, and even if Sergio was quite embarrassed in front of their friends, he was extremely happy. A hand on an arm, an explicit smile, innuendoes... Raquel even had fun to see him so embarrassed from time to time. The four of them had had a nice evening and promised to get together again soon. At the end of that evening, Raquel preferred to be picked up by Daniel and Monica. She had explained very naturally to Sergio that if she let him take her home again, she would not let him go. And after all, the next day they would spend the whole day together. Which Sergio had understood very well. 

After a night during which an anxious but hurried Raquel wondered what would happen the next day, she got up to be ready at 8 o'clock sharp. As Sergio had suggested, she had taken high waist jeans that she loved to wear, a short top and a wide jacket, not forgetting the trainers. She had patiently with a coffee in her hand. 

As soon as the time was up, she grabbed her things, closed the door behind her and almost ran down the stairs to be outside. He hadn't arrived yet, but as soon as she looked at her phone again, she saw his black car parked in front of her. She rushed to the passenger door, sat down with a quick kiss on his cheek and put her things by her legs. 

"That's it, I'm ready, we can go." Sergio laughed to see her excited for their day. 

"You're in a hurry," he said as they left. 

"It's not every day I get taken away on a date I don't know where, to do something I don't know" she said sarcastically. He motioned to her that she could choose the radio station, and headed for the highway. 

"You still won't tell me where we're going?" 

"I can tell you we're a little over an hour away" Raquel looked at him in disbelief. He was still laughing. 

She noticed that he was wearing an old pair of jeans, a grey t-shirt and a thin jacket.   
She didn't know what to think, and apparently watching her trying to find where they are going made him laugh. For minutes, she had been giving names of cities, activities, and either he didn't say anything or he denied it. Finally, she decided to stop looking and let him drive quietly to... she didn't know where. 

After more than an hour singing softly for Raquel, they arrived at a parking lot in the middle of... nowhere. A huge forest surrounded them, the sun was shining through the trees, there were no people around them, as if they were the only ones in the world.   
Sergio turned off the engine and turned towards Raquel, waiting for her reaction. 

"And this is where you decided to kill me, hiding the body in the forest and all," she asked, laughing. 

"You're absolutely right," he laughed at her joke. He got out of the car, she followed him. It was a bit hot and it was barely 10 o'clock. It was going to be a wonderful day.   
“So, where are we?” she asked while he was getting out of his trunk a hiking bag and a cooler. 

“We are near Toledo. I spent so many times here with Andres and Daniel. We share a common passion, hiking. Obviously, we're not going to hike today, but I propose you walk around this huge park, I'll show you some fantastic view spots that we discovered, then we'll have a picnic near a river, where we can spend the whole afternoon resting. What do you say?" He was waiting for her answer, but he saw tears in her eyes. He immediately started to panic. 

“No no no no!! I'm getting emotional because I think it's a great idea! I'm so excited about that, let's go!” she said by grabbing his hand. He smiled, happy to her reaction. 

So Sergio put the bag on, took the cooler in one hand and led Raquel to a small path. She stood right next to him, and listened to his talk about his weekend hikes with his brother and his friend, and how they discovered this place. Raquel was happy that he shared one of his passions with her. She could see that he was slowing down his pace to be by her side. He sometimes helped her over certain obstacles when the path was not well taken care of. The more they walked, the more she felt as if they were sinking into the forest, through the trees. The heat wasn't stifling because the trees were hiding them from the sun's rays. 

She thanked him for putting on trainers because they had walked a lot that morning. Her feet didn't hurt at all because they had kept a calm, pleasant pace. Sergio had also explained to her the history of the city, taking it to heart to tell everything, history, politics or cultural elements. If she had a doubt why everyone called him Professor... 

He had shown her a place where they had a beautiful view of Toledo, Sergio had shown her from afar the cathedral, the monastery... the different huge monuments they could see. They could see the river that ran alongside Toledo. The city was high up, and it was a wonderful sight to see, even more so during this time of the year. 

As he was explaining one of the festivity tradition of Toledo, he heard Raquel's stomach indicating that she was hungry. He turned to her and laughed. 

"We're not far from where we're going to have our picnic and spend the afternoon," 

A little less than an hour later, they arrived near a stream. The view was splendid. The trees almost hid this small, very intimate and comfortable spot. The grass did not bother, the trees created a little shade, enough to enjoy the sun, the water in the stream was so clear that you could see yourself in it. It was quiet, just the birds singing and the sound of the water flowing. That was the perfect spot for their plans. 

Sergio had started to set up their little place, he took a small blanket out of his bag, took off his jacket and took out their food for lunch. Seeing all the good food, salads, fruit... Raquel joined him, took off her jacket as well and looked hungry at everything that presented. 

Sergio explained to her that he had asked Agustin to prepare their meal, explaining that he would have liked to but had not had the time because he had a meeting to prepare for work.   
Finally, they ate in a comfortable ambiance, talking about everything and nothing. They enjoyed the fresh food and all the things that one or the other had to say. 

As she was finishing her grapes and Sergio was drinking some water, Raquel asked him: 

"So is this where you take all your conquests to seduce them or am I the lucky one?" 

He splashed some water as he struggled to swallow, blushed, and cleaned his mouth. She had surprised him. And Raquel laughed at his reaction, she teased him because she knew he didn't have as many conquests. 

"Veronica, my ex, came to hike with us once, but we didn't stop in this place... you're the first one" and I hope the last one thought Sergio. 

"I'm teasing you Sergio I know that" laughed Raquel, reassuring him. 

Finally, Raquel went around their spot of tranquility, while Sergio packed up their things. She approached the river and took a deep breath. It was calm and restful, in the middle of nowhere surrounded by nature, which was exactly what she needed after a busy work week. 

She felt the presence of Sergio's warm body behind her, he hardly touched her but she could feel his breath close to her ear. She closed her eyes instinctively and waited for him to touch her. It was only his whispering voice that reached her: 

"Did I have a good idea?”

She wanted him to touch her. Even if it was just holding her hand, she wanted to feel his touch on her skin. She turned around, looked up to see his darkened look. Sergio couldn't resist any longer and put both hands in her hair, from her skull to the tip of her long golden and brown hair. God I love her hair, he thought. She leaned against his touch, and finally put her head on his chest as he continued to run his hand through her hair, caressing it. She wrapped her arms around his waist. 

"This is my second favorite date. Our first date will always have a special place in my heart." 

Sergio was pleased with her response, and put a kiss on her hair. 

They hugged each other like this for a while, Sergio playing with her hair, kissing her from time to time, and Raquel had closed her eyes, her arms wrapped tightly around his middle and caressed his back with her hands. 

It was Sergio who broke that comfortable silence: 

"Do you want to rest a little before we have to go back?" she nodded and they went to lie down on the blanket.

Sergio sat down and let his backrest against the tree and as he thought Raquel was going to lay down next to him, she actually stood between his legs. She put her head on his belly and let her legs lie down alongside his. She found her position comfortable, and immediately closed her eyes. Sergio wasn't expecting this and it took a few seconds before he realized that she had almost directly laid down on top of him. Of her own free will. She had fallen asleep against him. He regained consciousness and placed his hand on her shoulder, caressed her gently. She was so beautiful ... he still didn't understand why a woman like Raquel, so strong, beautiful, intelligent and independent, was interested in him. She could have any man she wanted, but she had chosen him. What a lucky bastard, Sergio thought. 

“What time is it?” 

Sergio heard Raquel's sleepy voice take him out of his reading. 

"Almost 4" he said as he saw her stretching like a cat. 

She had slept almost 2 hours without moving once, he even thought he heard her snoring at one point. 

"You should have woken me up," she said, looking up at him. 

"You were sleeping so well, you seemed peaceful" he said, looking at her too and smiling. 

She nodded contentedly, and stayed where she was. Between his legs. After a while, she straightened up but stayed between his legs and put her back against his strong chest. He spread the book he had in his hand on his side and let her sit against him again. She put her head against his shoulder and let her hands slide up and down his thighs. 

After a while, he left his book aside for good and captured her hands. He intertwined their fingers and placed them on her belly. She smiled at him, gently kissed his neck and let her nose caress him tenderly. He smiled at her moment of tenderness and closed his eyes, he could not overcome the wave of happiness that was overwhelming him. 

"I don't want this day to end... Thanks Sergio, I enjoyed it very much" she said again, kissing him on the neck. 

"I'm glad you're happy" 

Sergio moved back a bit. Raquel turned back a few centimeters and was surprised to find his lips on hers. She didn't waste any time and answered him fervently. His hands went back to their place in her hair and Raquel's hands slipped under his shirt, caressing tenderly with the tips of her nails the skin of his abs. Their kiss had nothing to do with the ones they had already shared and quickly turned into domination. Their tongues fighting, they explored each other's mouths. One of his hands had moved on her cheek holding her exactly where he wanted. She had turned completely to him and finally, he found himself quickly on top of her, lying on the thin blanket, one leg between hers, she rubbed her hips against his while keeping the delicious movement of her fingers on his lower belly. 

Sergio suddenly withdrew from her lips but remained very close to her. 

"If we keep going on like this, I won't be able to stop, and I don't want us to do this here, not for our first time"

Raquel watched him breathe heavily. She continued to caress him under his shirt and looked at him seductively.

"Well, let's go on somewhere else then" 

They drove back to Sergio's house as it was the closest: an hour and a half to get back to the car and an hour to drive back to Madrid. And it was the longest hours of their lives but the most exciting ones. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola guys! As promised, the chapter that you were all waiting ... ^^
> 
> Again, I'm so overwhelmed by all your nice comments and kudos! And I read them allllll and I swear you guys are so nice, thank you so much!

Hands and tongue caressing every inch of her skin, fiery kisses, sweet moans, a pleasant pain in the legs... This night will be engraved in Raquel's memory forever. 

From the moment they arrived at his home, her back meeting every wall of his apartment, clothes flying around... she remembered his head between her legs as she stood against a door and tried to find support so she wouldn't fall. She remembered as he lifts her from the ground so easily and how her legs had wrapped around his waist so perfectly. She remembered when they came into his bedroom, pushing him onto his bed, and giving him as much pleasure as he had just given her. She remembered his head between her legs again. Not only was a picture she particularly cherished, but he was also talented. Very talented. And it seemed like he loved it as much as she did. Whether it was with his tongue, fingers or hips... And he knew how to do it. Never had a guy put her through what she went through last night. She remembered every time he saw a scar and left a sweet kiss on it. She remembered how sweet he was when he has first seen them; she was so afraid that he might be scared of them, but he has been so sweet, so gentle... She remembered every time he had undertaken something, a removed garment or a daring kiss, if everything was all right and if of course he had the right to. She remembered drawing him to her for a sensational kiss... And she remembered that they finally made love. When he was finally in her. It was not just sex, it was making love to each other, pure connection between lovers. There were so many feelings, so many new sensations, so many words they couldn't say yet. 

Actually, the other men she'd been close to hadn't been as attentive as Sergio. They were doing their business, and sometimes, even often, she had never reached orgasm, even faked it. Until she had to take care of herself. And the last few years with Alberto had been a disaster in that matter. The attention, the tenderness, the affection, the comfort of doing such a pure act of devotion with Sergio... she had had tears in her eyes. And through her blurry vision, she swore that she saw tears in his eyes as well. They had been staring into each other's eyes throughout the intensity of the movements of their hips.   
She came four times that night. It never happened to her before. She remembered hugging him so tightly and he fiercely returned the embrace. After they had regained normal breath, she lay completely on top of him, legs intertwined, her head nuzzling his neck, his hands caressing her entire back, their slow and lazy kisses and his sweet words whispering to her ear as she fell asleep.   
Sergio was a passionate lover. She had never spent a night like this, and when she opened her eyes this morning she felt so happy and relieved. As if she could finally breathe, felt free from Alberto's hold. She could finally experience something unique with this man she had met two weeks ago. Everything was going fast between them, but it was good and it felt so right. 

She rolled over in bed and left her hand touching the empty space next to her. 

Wait a minute. 

Empty? She straightened up, slightly panicked. What was going on? She was expecting to have him next to her. But as she began to panic, she saw her and Sergio's clothes perfectly folded on the chair by the dresser. He hadn't left, she thought. She smiled with an unexplained fright... why would he have left? It was his home! 

She stood up, took the perfectly folded grey t-shirt and decided to put it on. It was halfway up her thigh. The collar of his t-shirt smelled like him, she stuck her nose in it, took a deep breath, and decided to look around the apartment. After all, last night she hadn't had much time... His bedroom was perfectly tidy, a double bed, a bedside table on each side, a huge bookcase in front of the bed, a dressing room, and a door that certainly led to a bathroom. There was a picture of him and his siblings on a bedside table and a book. This room was quite simple, but it was all him. 

She went out of the room and into a hallway. She looked at the walls and laughed and blushed as she remembered what they had done to those walls a few hours earlier. There were several doors, but she decided to cross the hallway and go into the living room. The decoration was minimalist but simple and tasteful. In shades of grey and black, she came across a huge bookcase again, a large sofa, and a TV. A record player was on the side near a large bay window that opened onto a balcony overlooking Madrid. Another smaller bookcase was next to it, but this time with vinyl records and movies. Just like his brother and husband, he had a photo wall, she didn't pay much attention to it, remembering the last time she looked closely at pictures. She approached near the sofa and her bare feet touched the softness of the carpet. 

As her toes curled around it, she turned her gaze away from the view and finally paid attention to what was happening on the other side of the room. The living room was large and when she arrived she was immediately attracted by the brightness of the large windows. To her left, separated by a bar, was the kitchen. She saw Sergio's bareback busy doing something on the counter. His hair curled in all directions and his head moved to the rhythm of the faint music. Seeing him gave her shivers all over her body, remembering what he did last night and how much she enjoyed it. He seemed so focused that he didn't see her arrive. He was listening to light music from the radio and Raquel recognized Van Morrison. She couldn't stop smiling and walked straight to him. And Raquel, as she approached, saw that he had prepared a delicious breakfast: fruit, coffee, pancakes... 

She didn't hesitate and wrapped her arms around his waist and placed a kiss in the middle of his collarbones. He startled because he wasn't expecting it, but soon he turned around and looked at her lovingly. She put her chin on his chest and smiled at him. 

"Hola cariňo" she said lovingly. He answered her and she kissed him again, but this time on his chest. 

"You just ruined my surprise. I was supposed to bring you that wonderful breakfast in bed," he said, dropping a kiss on her forehead and wrapping her shoulders with his arms. 

"I woke up, you weren't there... I had to look for my boyfriend," she said with a smile so big it could have hurt her cheeks.

"Boyfriend huh?" 

He said with the same loving smile on his lips. She nodded her head and he took her by surprise while carrying her and put her down on the counter. She had wrapped her legs around his waist by reflex, sticking their two bodies together. Her arms went around his neck, caressing the back of his head, and Sergio's arms went around her waist. They kissed each other fiercely first, then lazy and messy for a long time while Van Morrison was now singing Brown Eyed Girl. They teased each other as she was just wearing his t-shirt and he was wearing linen pants. She could already feel that their make-out session was affecting him, just as she could feel herself getting wet, and they moved their hips to rub their intimate parts. Sergio continued to kiss her, on the cheeks, nose, forehead, neck, came close to her ear, he whispered the words of the song to her: 

Sometimes I'm overcome thinking 'bout  
Making love in the green grass  
Behind the stadium with you  
My brown-eyed girl  
You, my brown-eyed girl 

He continued to apply tender kisses under her ear and on her jaw, and Raquel's heart swelled up with so much happiness, joy, love, that she thought it would explode. What was that man doing to her? She swallowed the ball that was forming in her throat and took his face with both hands to kiss him fiercely at first, and then put down countless little kisses on his lips to which Sergio responded joyfully. 

They laughed and parted but stayed very close to each other. A blissful smile on their lips for both of them, they were finally at the same height. Arms and legs still wrapped around him, Sergio was now caressing her thighs tenderly under his shirt. His nose playing with hers. 

"This t-shirt looks much better on you than it does on me by the way" 

"You think so?" He agreed and put a little kiss on her nose. 

"Do you want to have breakfast here?" 

"I'm hungry, but now, I want to eat something else" she said, kissing him again, taking his head in both of her hands. 

It was as if they couldn't stop touching each other. Now that they had tasted each other's lips, of the perfection they were once they were together, of all the sensations they felt, it was addictive, like a drug. And none of them wanted to stop, ever. 

Finally, Sergio had carried her to the couch where they discovered each other again. Now they were both sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table enjoying their breakfast.   
Sergio watched as Raquel devoured her pancake. She had put his t-shirt back on, her hair was a mess, her legs were bent in Indian style, and she was enjoying the breakfast he had prepared for her. From time to time, she gave him glances, smiles, and even cleaned his face with her finger while he had a little strawberry in the corner of his lips. 

That's when he understood. 

He had fallen in love with this woman, there was no other explanation. As soon as he had seen her in Hanoi that Friday, when he had suddenly appeared in front of her, when she had talked to him about her marriage and where he immediately felt he had to protect her, during their first date where they got to know each other better and where he had told her tons of things about his life, and even more recently, all the conversations in the evening before going to sleep, their date yesterday and their last night together, and what a night... There was no other explanation. What he had with his previous girlfriend... that wasn't love. What Raquel meant to him... that was love. And instead of being afraid, he felt a tremendous warmth filling his heart. He loved her. He loved Raquel. He was totally, utterly in love with Raquel Murillo. 

Suddenly, he turned completely towards her, took her face with both hands and kissed her fiercely. Raquel was very surprised and closed her eyes. The kiss lasted only a few seconds but Sergio put all the intensity he could into it. When it was over, Sergio stepped back and saw Raquel gently open her eyes again and looked at him in amazement. 

"What was that for? Not that I'm complaining by the way" 

"To thank you” She looked at him weirdly waiting for an explanation. 

"I think I just had the best night of my life"

Sergio was sitting in his apartment, now empty. He was sitting on his stool and looking at the sofa. He missed her. He missed her terribly. He'd taken her home like the gentleman he was. Because she had to go home. She didn't have any clean clothes. Although he wouldn't mind her walking around naked, she had to go to work tomorrow. Then, Sergio had thought of getting her things and taking them home to stay with her, but it wasn't possible. Because even though their feelings were strong, and he was sure she felt the same way, they couldn't. Certainly because it was too early and that good thing should not be abused, he assumed. 

So he took her home, kissed her and told her how much he had enjoyed their time together and as her boyfriend, he would always take care of her and protect her because that's what she deserved. She had tears in her eyes, he had dried her off, and she had told him that she had loved their time too. He had seen that his confession had overturn her, but he had felt that it was the next logical step; it was the first time he had ever felt so much for a woman. He felt suffocated with all his emotions and at the same time he felt as if he was floating, as if he was a new person. Raquel had this power over him to turn everything upside down, and he loved it. He was used to having everything under control, but with her... he would gladly let her. And this needs to protect her, it was inevitable. With her past, all the things she had confessed to him, all the blows and words she had suffered from her ex-husband's hands, the emotional, physical and psychological violence he used on her was making him sick. He had to protect her. And Sergio hoped she understood that he would do anything for her. Her ex-husband had destroyed her so badly... He just wanted to find him and make him understand how extraordinary this woman was and how he'd failed her by hitting and humiliating her. Now Sergio promised himself to always cherish her and love her. He would never take her love, her presence, for granted. “That was Andres told me about... that was this incredible feeling called love” he thought. If only he could go back in the past and told to his old him how foolish he was. 

His phone rang and got him out of his thoughts. It was Andres. 

"Hola Hermanito, I didn't hear from you after your date with Raquel, I guess it went well?" 

"Hola Andres" he simply replied. Andres didn't miss his brother's dreamy voice. 

"So it went well," he laughed. 

"It went very well actually, I just took her home." 

"SERGIO FINALLY HAD SEX" shouted Martin behind, Andres laughed and Sergio blushed. 

“Mi hermanito has a girlfriend????” his brother and husband were over the moon on hearing the news, Sergio had a stupid and dreamy laugh on his lips. 

“I guess I have a girlfriend now” he heard them exclaiming, obviously very happy for him and Raquel. 

At the same time, at Raquel's home...

“And then, after that, we quickly went back to his place, and you can guess what we did all night long... and even this morning too..." she said, with a dreamy smile on her lips. 

Raquel was in her bath, phone on speaker. She had decided to relax after that little weekend with Sergio... her boyfriend. She could say it now, it was official. The man with glasses, shy, attractive, intelligent.. was her boyfriend. Just thinking about it, she automatically had a smile on her face. With Sergio, she felt protected, at peace, and she knew he wouldn't hurt her. For her, it was inconceivable that a man like him could be interested in a woman like her, divorced, a disastrous marriage, and with so much emotional baggage. But he had found the right words, reassured her, and because of that, she knew that this relationship was the right one. She knew it. 

By the time she arrived home, she had charged her phone battery and had seen countless messages from Monica, Agata and Alicia. All about her date with Sergio. At first, she had wanted to keep their relationship for her, but she was so over the moon that she had to confess her happiness.   
And now they were all four in deep conversation, and of course they all wanted to know about their time together. 

Every time Raquel said how the date went, or what they talked about, what he had done, they all had something to say.

"I knew Sergio was a romantic" said Monica.

"How cute you are..." Agata said. 

"They've been fucking all night long... How good is he to bed?" Alicia exclaimed which made everyone laughed even though Raquel blushed a little. 

“So, you're dating now?? Not just sex friends or whatever please, you are so cute together” begged Agata

“If you're asking if he's my boyfriend, yes he is” and they all shouted, happy for their friends. 

Raquel could hear Daniel and Anibal exclaiming behind Monica, obviously very happy too. It made Raquel so much happy that their friends, his family, were happy for them. 

Apparently, all their friends seemed to be happy for the two new lovebirds, but Silene didn't know about it. How was she going to take the news after the way their last talk had gone? Raquel couldn't stop thinking about it, after all, how would she react? She made it clear the other day that she was not in favor of a possible relationship with her brother. More importantly, what could she possibly be able to do? Sergio needed to talk to his sister. It was out of the question that she and Sergio stop what they had started because Silene didn't approve. It was out of the question for her to say no to her happiness. Not now that she'd had a taste of it even for a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter on Saturday, as usual. It will deal with Silene... But it's not quite you are expecting... Let's say that the worst is yet to come! 
> 
> See you and take care :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola guys! I hope you are ok ? Because I'm doing great ! "I think I'm in love with you" has over 300 kudos, you've given me over 110 comments ... It's insane !!! 
> 
> I'm very grateful for all this... and that's why I've decided to give you 2 chapters in 1 today ! To thank you for your loyalty and support.
> 
> So this chapter is very long, of course. And I prefer to warn you, the next part (so what will happen on Wednesday) is the beginning of the problems... it takes a bit of drama in all good stories, right ?   
> Anyway, thanks again for everything and see you next Wednesday !

A new week was beginning, and Raquel was happy. Finally. She had the perfect job, friends she could count on, and now a great boyfriend. That's why she was happy that Monday when she came into the office. She was a little late, Monica had arrived and was waiting at her door with a coffee in her hand, a big smile on her face and mischievous eyes. 

"Here you go..." 

Raquel smiled at her as she took the cup from her friend's hand. Raquel thanked her and Monica watched her walk around her office, still with a smile on her face. It was so obvious that Raquel was so happy. She was truly happy for Raquel: she remembered the first time she reached her by phone call, and she couldn't compare the two Raquels now. And this one, the Raquel walking around her office with a smile on her face, this Raquel was happy, and after all she'd been through, Monica thought she'd done so well to get her here in Madrid. 

"It's nice to see you so happy." 

"Thank you, because I'm very happy" 

"Who knew Profe could be this good in bed? Sex must have been great seeing how you walk" And Raquel almost spit her coffee out through her nose.

"I'm just kidding, Raquel... I know it's more like that between you, and I really think you both deserve to be happy." 

Monica kissed her friend and went to her own office to start her day. Raquel remained to stare, astonished at what her friend had said. Finally, she shook her head laughing and waited for her first patient. 

It was noon, and Raquel accompanied her last patient of the morning to the door. 

"Set up a meeting with Meite, and I'll see you soon, okay? Have a nice day!" 

She thanked her patient one last time as he left for the exit. She turned back to her secretary and was surprised to see her boyfriend leaning against the lady's desk, having a deep conversation with her. As soon as Raquel's patient came out, Sergio turned to her with a big smile on his face. 

"Cariňo, what are you doing here?" she asked surprised. 

"I wanted to have lunch with you, is it possible?" Raquel approached him and put a tender kiss on his cheek. 

"Yes, of course, let me get my stuff." 

Sergio waited for her, and then she closed her door when she was done, Monica came and Meite watched them with heart eyes. 

“Hola Sergio, what a good surprise seeing you here...”

Monica said as she kissed him on the cheek. She still had her mischievous smile on her lips, Sergio blushed and pushed back his glasses. 

"They're cute together, don't you think Meite?" 

Monica asked, she continued looking at them as Raquel stood next to Sergio and slipped her hand into his. 

"Oh yes, they are very cute together! But let's stop bothering them, all right? Go join your sweetheart you little devil," 

Meite said, pushing Monica out the door. They both laughed and Raquel and Sergio silently thanked Meite. 

Once outside, Sergio offered to take Monica to Hanoi, but she declined. She had to go home because she forgot a file for one of her afternoon patients. Finally, Sergio and Raquel left on their own. He offered to take her for a salad in the park where they had spent their first date together and Raquel was delighted. 

Once they had their food, they quickly found themselves in the park. The weather was nice and some runners were running down the paths. 

They ate quietly, talking mainly about their morning's work. And their discussion quickly turned to Monica's reaction. 

"You were embarrassed earlier" 

"Yeah, I'm not used to that kind of remark. But, I know I should be warier of Andres and Martin's," says Sergio.

"Oh, is that so? Do you think it will be worse with them?"

"Oh, yeah, so much worse. They're gonna make me so uncomfortable... and probably you too. They really like you by the way" Raquel laughed. 

"And I like them too" she said, putting her arm around his waist. Sergio laughed too and put his arm around her shoulders. They leaned against each other, caressing each other tenderly. 

“I guess the girls have been happy for us..."

"It's totally underrated! They were really happy and Agata even though she assured me that you will take good care of me, told me not to break your little heart" said Raquel, putting her hand on his chest where she could feel his heart beating. And she could feel it beating faster than normal. He put his hand on hers and took it close to his mouth and put a kiss on her palm.

"Monica made me swear to take care of you too." 

She turned from his embrace, stunned. She put their hands in his lap,

"When did she tell you that?" 

"Last night. I had to call Dani to agree to go riding this weekend with Anibal, and Monica took the opportunity to say a few words to me," he said, playing with Raquel's fingerings. 

"Okay. Well, I think our friends are protective and we'd better not hurt each other then," she said, returning to her place in his arms. He ran one of his hands through her hair and the other one still with her rings. 

"I guess so... fortunately that's not what I plan..." he said. 

Raquel looked up at him, saw him smile and couldn't resist kissing him. 

After that tender moment, she says:

"And what does Silene think, by the way?"

She saw Sergio tighten up a bit, and put his glasses back on his nose. 

"You didn't tell her yet?" Even though Raquel wasn't surprised he didn't tell her, she was still a little disappointed. 

"Things between her and Anibal are just starting to work out, and she knew I liked you a lot from the beginning and she was afraid for me... that our relationship could end badly. I didn't want to upset her. I wanted to announce to her when she'll be better" 

Raquel understood his reaction, of course. She knew Silene would be some kind of obstacle, but she thought Sergio could have told her about their relationship, or even said a few words. 

"Honey, do you understand why did I say nothing to her?" he asked as he saw her in his thoughts. He shook her hand. 

"I understand. But I'm a little disappointed." 

An awkward silence settled in. She was still in his arms and he continued to run his hand through her hair, but they were both lost in their thoughts. 

He looked down, disappointed too. He didn't know what to do: of course he wanted to shout out to everyone that this woman was his, but on the other hand, there was Silene who wasn't well, who was just starting to work things out with Anibal, and who for some logical reason didn't want to see her brother suffer for a woman. She just had to understand that Raquel was the one. 

"I don't want you to think I'm ashamed of you, or anything, because it's not true. I'm just afraid of how she's going to react... Silene is very protective, stubborn and impulsive. And right now, I don't want to upset her when she's not doing well with Anibal. But I'm going to fix it, I want to be able to live the beginning of our relationship the way it should be"

She did not expect this reaction and was touched by it. She turned towards him and put her hand on his, as if to thank him. 

Finally, a sad atmosphere fell back between them, Sergio was thinking and Raquel was still in her thoughts. Both of them didn't know how to fix this. Sergio stopped his car in front of her office. Raquel was still sitting on the passenger side and didn't know what to do now. Should she kiss him goodbye?   
Sergio was so disappointed in himself, he thought that he'd hurt her, he also thought they'd only been together a few hours and he'd already hurt her. 

"I'm going to tell her tonight, and you can come home too. So we can be together, and that way she'll see how happy I am with you and she'll understand." 

“Do what you have to do Sergio, I trust you," she said, turning to him and smiling. 

"I promise I'll tell her today Raquel" He seemed determined. 

"Don't make a promise Sergio, I know you'll do it" she said, kissing him on the cheek. 

"I'm sorry," he said as she was about to open the door. She turned to him worried. 

"Why are you sorry for?" 

"I've been strutting around calling you my girlfriend for two days and I'm already hurting you, I'm really sorry, I swear I didn't mean it." She saw him look down in shame at his behavior. She felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. That man was too good. 

"Cariňo, you didn't hurt me. Don't do this to yourself, it's all right, okay?" she said, taking his face in her hands, caressing his beard. He looked up. She brought her face closer to his, she gently kissed him and whispered against his lips: "You didn't hurt me, and I trust you. Let's see it tonight, together" He nodded his head and finally they kissed, lazily and tenderly. Their lips danced against each other for a while and then they separated. She took her hands off his face, and as she was about to leave again, he said:

"Come to my place tonight, not just for Silene. Stay the night with me too" She smiled at him and kissed his hand.

"Of course cariňo" 

They promised to see each other in the evening and Sergio left once Raquel entered the building. 

As promised, Raquel had gone home after work to get some clothes to spend the night at Sergio's. It was 8 pm, and she'd picked up Chinese on her way. She had got more food, because she didn't know whether Silene would stay with them or not. 

Now she arrived at Sergio's and rang the doorbell. In a few seconds, he had opened the door for her, had taken her by the waist and dragged her into his apartment and kissed her fiercely. She had been taken by surprise by the speed with which he had drawn her to him, but she had quickly recovered and had responded to his kiss. 

"Thank you for coming," he said as he stood by her lips. 

"You're very welcome. I brought Chinese, I hope it's okay," she said, pointing to the bag. 

He took her hands and told her it was perfect. She went to drop off her things and quickly came back to him. He was in the kitchen preparing the table on the counter. 

"What did you say to Silene then?" she said, sitting down. 

"I told her I had something to tell her and she just had to come tonight."

He walked by her, kissed her temple and went back to put the food warm. She went to answer him but was interrupted by the front door opening. They heard Silene's voice: 

"Hola Profe! I hope you'll be quick, because Agata's waiting for me, we're going to the theater tonight" 

She arrived and immediately saw Raquel sitting on the stool. Raquel sent her a smile but Silene didn't answer. She stayed at the entrance to the kitchen and looked at her brother. 

"Um... Silene, I wanted to-"

She cut him off and pointed at them both with her finger.

"You two are dating." She took them by surprise with her sentence. 

"Yes," they simply both said. Raquel saw her sighed.

"It was only a matter of time after all" 

That was true, thought Raquel. She would never have let go of what she has with Sergio for anything in the world, not now that she was happy with him.   
Silene didn't look surprised, but it's clear that she didn't carry Raquel in her heart, she didn't even look at her, but she wasn't against this relationship either. 

"I just hope you don't do anything that could hurt him" she said as she finally turned to Raquel. The blonde just nodded her head, as Sergio began to want to reprimand his sister. 

"No.. Sergio, I don't want you to get hurt. That's all. But Raquel and I understand each other, don't we? I'm happy for you if you're happy" she walked into the kitchen, quickly kissed her brother on both cheeks and smiled politely at Raquel as she walked past. 

“Anyway, as I said, Agata is waiting for me, so I'll leave now” 

“Wait! Raquel brought Chinese! We hope that you'll stay with us?” asked Sergio, a little too hopeful. 

“No thanks, I don't want to be the third wheel, and I'm sure we'll have so many opportunities together, don't we, sister-in-law?” 

Raquel didn't know if she was being ironic or if she really meant what she said. Her behavior was very contradictory to her words. But they both wanted Sergio's happiness; she could see that his sister meant a lot to him and Silene, even though she was being kind of mean to Raquel right now, she cared a lot about his brother, that was all about. She just smiled at her and finally, he let her go and wished her a good evening with Agata. 

Silene thanked them for the invitation, and left the apartment, finally as quickly as she arrived. Sergio walked her to the door and sat down in front of Raquel at the counter. 

"Well... it wasn't that bad?" Raquel asked. 

"I think so... I hope she goes easy on you, because you're stuck with me, Murillo” 

He winked at her and they smiled at each other. 

"I'm glad I'm stuck with you, Marquina." 

Later that night... 

They were comfortable on the couch. Sergio was lying all the way down on the couch and Raquel was in his arms, back against his chest. A light blanket was covering them, they were watching a movie. He had his nose in her hair, his arm under her head and the other hand on her belly, caressing her tenderly. With their legs intertwined, she had put her two hands on his. She loved being in his arms...He was so tender and affectionate with her that Raquel thought her heart would burst with joy. From time to time he would put kisses in her hair, and she couldn't help but get closer and closer to his body. 

"You know... I never thought I'd be so cuddly with someone," he stuck his nose in her hair, and whispered, "but when I'm with you, I always want to have you around, to touch you, to kiss you... I was afraid of what I felt because we've only just known each other for a few weeks, but in the end, I love to feel that. I don't know what you did to me, Raquel... I wasn't like this before you arrived in my boring life. You came in and turned everything upside down... in a good way I mean” she laughed and he continued: “I truly love what I feel for you. I want to feel that for the rest of my life." 

Oh Gosh.. Why did the girls keep telling me that he was shy, reserved and above all that he didn't know how to show his feelings when he's making declarations of love to me like this? thought Raquel. 

Raquel was crying now. She was not expecting this statement. She turned around gently, his hands went over her face drying her tears and went back around her waist and neck as Raquel's hand went over his heart. His heart was beating so fast. She tucked her head into his neck and whispered:

"I think I'm in love with you, Sergio." 

He whispered in her ear: 

"I think I'm in love with you too, Raquel." 

They sighed and Raquel kissed his neck as he kissed her hair again and again. 

“It's not too soon right?” he said. 

“Between us, nothing will ever be too soon," she said as she snapped his neck. 

And the movie was soon forgotten. 

It has now been a few months since Raquel and Sergio confessed their feelings, and they have never been happier in their lives. Sergio was experiencing what he joyfully called "being his first love" and Raquel loved to say that he "saved her, teaching her what it was like to be loved, respected and protected". The two of them had found each other, and a routine had set in: at lunchtime, either one or the other came to eat with the other, in the evening, either one came to sleep at the other's house... so much so that they were almost inseparable. Little by little, Sergio's things were at Raquel's and Raquel's things were at Sergio's. They were now inseparable. 

The first time they shared an evening with their friends as an "official" couple, Sergio remembered that he had never been so embarrassed in his life. It was the first week during their dating.   
He had decided to pick up Raquel from work, as Monica had been gone for a long time and it was getting dark, Sergio, as a good boyfriend, had gone to pick her up, and then spend the evening at Andres and Martin's house. Raquel was supposed to buy her own car that week, but in the meantime, Sergio offered to take her wherever she wanted to go. 

They were the last to arrive. Everyone was at the table outside and already sharing a drink. Some of their friends were already quite tipsy.   
He was holding Raquel's hand and she was guiding him out of the house. As soon as they arrived in front of them, they all had whistled and almost screamed to see them holding hands. Raquel had stopped all movement and Sergio was petrified on the spot. Andres had practically jumped on him to congratulate him and Martin had quickly followed. Agata and Alicia were also very happy for the new couple and Sergio and Raquel saw that Daniel was doing everything possible to keep his fiancée from running around the garden in joy.   
Finally, after several congratulations, they went to sit down but Andres had interrupted them: "You don't think you can get away with this hermanito. Kiss your woman Sergio," he said with a big smile on his face. Sergio found his behavior so childish and went to sit down and dragged Raquel along with him, but she had shown reluctance. He had turned to her with questions in his eyes when he recognized that spark of foolishness. She dragged him towards her, took his face in her hands and french kissed him fiercely. He had been petrified at first, and then finally let himself be carried away by the passion of her kiss. He heard his friends screaming and whistling again. After a few seconds, they stopped, and both of them blushed. After this fiery display of affection, they spent more or less a quiet evening... If we take away all the sexual innuendos of Martin and Alicia, or all the times that Monica, Agata, Andres or even Daniel, had sighed with happiness or said that they were cute each time one of them showed affection to the other. It was embarrassing but sweet to see how much their friends enjoyed their relationship.

One time, they tried to spend the night without each other... and it didn't work. Raquel had had a patient with a very difficult case earlier in the day, and the woman's problems had reminded her of what she had experienced with Alberto. As they were apart the evening, Sergio had sent her a text, just asking how she was doing without him. And the answer didn't come right away, and he wasn't used to so he gets worried. He had tried to call her, but she didn't answer too. He was even more worried but he had thought then that she might be on the phone with Monica or Alicia, as the two of them became very close friends. He had waited for another hour and tried to reach her. She didn't answer. He thought that as women, they could spend hours on the phone talking to each other and time flew he guessed. So he started to eat in front of the tv and thought about how miserable he was without her. Then, he heard his phone. He stopped what he was doing and practically ran to reach it. He saw her face and automatically smiled. But when he picked up the phone and heard her crying, his smile quickly faded away. She had asked him to come home as soon as possible and he waited no more and left very quickly. He had been on the phone with her all the way, but it didn't last long, he had driven so fast to get to her. He had run up the stairs and he arrived at her door. He had knocked quickly and gone inside. He found her crying in her bed. His heart tore at that image.   
He had lost no time and walked straight to her, taking her in his arms. She had taken refuge there, like a child, and cried on his chest. He had consoled her, stroked her hair, dried her tears, whispered sweet words in her ear to soothe her, and she had clung to him as if he was a lifebelt.   
Once calmed down, she cried silently and still in his arms, she had explained to him that this woman's story reminded her of everything she had experienced, and as she had returned to her apartment, alone that evening, she had simply let the emotions out. He had apologised for not being with her at that moment: 

"It was a stupid idea to want to spend the night at my place on my own, I won't leave you again, never again." 

He had kissed her as a promise and they had shared ice cream in front of her favorite tv show; she had put herself between his legs, back to chest, and he had taken her in his arms, protecting her from everything. 

Since then, Sergio shared all his evenings and nights with her; he never wanted to see her like that again. 

Saturday nights were their night together, special moments between them and only them. On Friday evenings, they would join their friends in Hanoi, but sometimes they stayed at home, going on dates, enjoying each other's presence. Sometimes the gang would meet them at Sergio's or Raquel's, it depended on where they were. Even if Anibal would often come, Silene never came. Much to Sergio's despair. She accepted their relationship, but that didn't mean she loved Raquel. Often, when the siblings got together, Sergio made Silene understand that this situation bothered him, he loved his sister deeply, but he loved Raquel deeply too, he would have liked the two of them to get along. But despite the fact that Raquel invited her several times, she never came. And Raquel also suffered from this situation, because she noticed that her boyfriend wasn't totally happy without his sister. 

Once, when everyone was at Sergio's house, spent the evening as they often did, Raquel had tried to talk to Silene, but once again, the discussion between the two of them quickly deteriorated.   
Silene had gone into the kitchen to get some more food and Raquel had followed her. Most of their friends were on the balcony, smoking or accompanying others to smoke, and Sergio was in a room showing Andres something about his new piano. Raquel had thought it was a good time to go and talk to Silene.   
She had arrived and Silene had seen her coming near. The brunette had stopped fiddling with the plates and turned towards Raquel, her arms folded, her body leaning against the counter. Raquel stopped and looked at her. Silence had set in and finally Raquel sighed and said: 

"Look, I don't know what you have against me, but-"

"I don't like you." 

"I understood that, but you don't think-"

"What I think is that you're not the right one for Sergio. You don't love me, I don't love you and I feel you're up to something."

She still had a dark look in her eyes, hadn't unhooked her arms. Raquel sighed again.

"And I think for Sergio's sake, we should-"

"Pretending? I'm not pretending. And why pretend? You won't stay long, right? After your little affair with my brother, you'll just be Monica's friend, I won't have to put up with you afterward." 

Raquel got fed up and got closer to Silene. 

"I understand that you didn't like the way I talked to you the other day and maybe I shouldn't have told you about Anibal that way, I also understand that your brother doesn't spend time with you anymore and he's always with me. But you have to understand that that's the way it is, that he's in a long-term relationship with a woman and you have to respect that. He's suffering from this situation, and you should start putting up with me because I'm not going away Silene, I love Sergio" 

Silene swallowed in front of the way Raquel spoke to her but did not give in. She couldn't help it. Raquel was always with him, and he didn't spend any more time with her or Andres as before. Silene had also noticed that some of Raquel's things were at Sergio's, or that he didn't make decisions alone anymore, he always asked Raquel's opinion: 

"Are you coming for a drink tonight? No, I'm going to the movies with Raquel"   
or   
"Anibal is going to ride this weekend, do you want to join him? I don't know if we have plans with Raquel" 

This situation was really annoying Silene, and she was close to freaking out. That night at Andres and Martin's house... Raquel had crossed the line and talked to her in that tone of voice. She'd never heard anyone talk to her like that, let alone a woman she didn't know. She wasn't her sister-in-law at that time, she had dared to speak to her like that and make fun of her relationship with Anibal. For Silene, Raquel had disrespected her and her issues, Anibal and their relationship. She just wanted to warn her not to hurt Sergio because if she did, she would know how to defend him, and maybe she hadn't been tender, but still! And now that they were together, it was over. She wasn't seeing Sergio anymore. Even though they worked together, she couldn't see him anymore. This woman was stealing him from her brother and it disgusted her. 

As she was about to respond to one of her bloody remarks, as she used to do to Raquel, Sergio came into the kitchen with a big smile on his face; he had walked towards Raquel, a hand on her back, a kiss on her temple and had said:

"What are you talking about?" 

He was so happy, Raquel leaned up against him and looked at her... Silene might be hallucinating, but she swore she was looking at her and laughing. 

"I was wondering where you put the dessert," Silene replied, looking at Raquel. 

That was the only time Silene and Raquel had really talked, and it didn't work out. So even though Raquel was annoyed that Sergio would have liked his sister and girlfriend to get along, she was happy and in love. She thought that she wasn't 20 anymore, leave the problems behind and enjoy her life. 

Their first "holiday" together will always have a special place in Raquel's heart too. One Thursday evening, while they were quietly eating pizza, Sergio suddenly turned to her and said: 

"Let's go away together this weekend" 

She laughed at his spontaneity and responded: 

"To go where?" 

"I don't know, to the beach? It's a beautiful weekend. We could go to Valencia, or even the Basque Country, I don't know, but let's go somewhere else together." 

Sergio had been the first surprised to have made this proposal, but this woman could do whatever she wanted with him, he could go to the end of the world for her.   
She had smiled at him, winked, and said:

"We are going to Valencia, we'll go to the Basque Country to meet my family later". 

That same evening, they had started planning their little weekend; they had rented a small apartment by the sea, seen which places they would visit and so on. 

The next day, they took the car after work and drove straight to their weekend destination. 

Their journey to get there had been really fast, Raquel sang all the songs on the playlist she had prepared, and she had ordered Sergio to sing, and when he didn't know the songs, she told him to do the rhythm of the instruments. “Wake me up before you go go” had triggered a lot of laughter and tears of joy: Raquel had discovered Sergio's passion for George Michael. 

They had arrived late at night and had dropped off their things. The apartment was at the foot of the beach, and the desire was too great: they had gone for a night walk along the beach. Shoes in hand, hand in hand, feet in the water, they walked quietly. After a while, they sat down on the sand, Raquel between his legs, and they talked about the life they were planning for both of them. 

They spent their Saturday walking through the streets of Valencia, going to the Museu de Belles Arts de València, they had lunch in a restaurant, Raquel then wanted to do some shopping, they took the opportunity to bring back some souvenirs for their friends, and they ended the day at the beach, swimming, kissing, bathing and making love again and again ... 

On Sunday morning, they woke up huddled together under the rays of the sun.

"We have to go home already..." Raquel said with a sigh on his neck. He tightened his grip on her. "Can you promise me we'll do this again? You, me, gone and alone for a few days?" 

"I promise," he said, kissing her and laying on top of her, kissing her neck and going down to her breasts. She laughed as he was tickling her on her ribs, and he continued to kiss her down and down...

But would their idyllic moment last?


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Thanks again for your support, I think I'll never be used to all your comments and the kudos.. Thank you so much!
> 
> So, a new chapter today! The beginning of the drama... Keep in my mind that I'm sorry and, like you, I hate to see my favs in pain, ok? It won't take (too) long, and trust me ;)
> 
> One of you asked me where I came from, if I had a twitter account (which I have and which is personal by the way). So of course I answered, but I wanted to know if you were all interested in getting to know me a bit more? 
> 
> Anyway, I do have a twitter account and to tell the truth, I draw a lot of my imagination from some tweets and the art of some accounts! I'm always incredibly blown away by all your talent. Incredible fandom, we can be proud of us x) 
> 
> I finished writing another drama of the story, especially about your suggestions, which is Sergio's jealousy... tell me if you want to see other situations with the characters of this story ;)
> 
> In any case, thanks again and I will give you the next chapter on Saturday, as always ;) 
> 
> See you and take care <3

As Daniel and Monica's wedding approached, they had decided to make their day the most important day of their lives, an intimate and convivial moment with their closest friends and family. They didn't want a big ceremony, people they didn't especially want to invite but had to invite because they had to... They wanted this wedding to be in their image: simple, convivial, intimate and a moment of pure happiness that reflected their love. 

Andres and Martin had therefore decided to lend them their second house in Toledo (at that suggestion, Raquel and Sergio looked at each other lovingly, remembering their second date), Agustin and a few friends would help with the food, and Monica, Agata, Silene, Raquel and Alicia would take care of the decoration, while the men would take care of the rest.   
The machine was up and running, and everyone was taking their role to heart, so the whole gang decided to go to Andres and Martin's famous house to start the first preparations. After all, the wedding was three weeks away now. 

It was Friday night, and everyone had gone home to pick up their bags after work. Sergio, Raquel, Monica and Daniel were traveling together and had arrived second, after Andres and Martin who had been in their house since the day before.   
Agata and Alicia soon followed, and finally Anibal and Silene arrived last. 

Raquel, who was the only one who didn't know the house, had been blown away. Their house in Madrid had impressed her, but this house was fantastic. It was lost in the middle of a forest. It was on several floors and could easily accommodate twenty people in the house alone. A large garage, a magnificent garden, a wonderful patio so that their already fabulous garden in Madrid was ridiculous next to the one that had a magnificent swimming pool... Raquel understood well why the couple had offered them this house to host their friend's wedding ceremony.  
Inside the house, the decoration was very simple and comfy, so that she truly felt at home. Andres and Martin were really really good at their job, she thought.

Monica and Sergio were taking notes of everything they had to do. Monica wanted her wedding to be perfect and Sergio just wanted to help, saying he felt concerned about the planning of the wedding as he was responsible for the postponed of the date. 

It was 9 pm, and Silene and Anibal had just arrived. They had entered, quickly greeted their friends, and deposited their things in Silene's room.   
Anibal had come down to join them, and Silene had decided to take her time up there. So she went down to join her friends two hours after her arrival.   
Between those two, things had more or less settled down. Anibal had decided to put his questions aside, not wanting to lose her because he deeply loved her, and Silene had softened up. So that now, the question of a future between them was not an issue and they lived from day today. Or until the next fight.

After a discussion about where the wedding meal would take place, which ended with the choice to do it in the back of the garden wherewith the trees offering a magnificent panorama, Silene had gone downstairs and finally joined the others without a word, bringing a silence with her. Some did not understand Silene's behavior, like Martin or Daniel, who were completely confused. Others, like Agata or Alicia, who more or less knew what was going on, simply preferred to bow their heads and wait. 

Silene broke the silence and said directly to Sergio: 

"So you decided to come and join us this time, I'm glad you did." Sergio looked up at her in disbelief.

"What do you mean?" 

Raquel, who was next to Sergio, saw Andres and Agata move awkwardly from their seats, as if they knew it was going to get out of hand. The others kept silent, not wanting to intervene. Silene had that look in her eyes, the look that said she was going to cause trouble, the look that said she just wanted to fuck things up. She truly had a huge temperament, and Raquel knew that a few people could handle her, but it seemed that she had decided to get angry with them. She had discreetly put her hand on Sergio's, which was resting as always on her thigh. She felt things were about to get out of hand too and wanted to bring him some comfort. She caressed his hand and he unconsciously reciprocated her gesture. 

"What I mean is, you're finally honouring us with your presence, and lately that's been rare, so I say it's good to see you with us." 

“I don't understand what is going on with you lately, but I don't appreciate it Silene” said Sergio as he stayed surprisingly calm. 

Silene seemed so angry and Raquel swore that tears were forming in the corner of her eyes. Alicia and Agata, who were next to her, tried to talk to her softly, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Martin, Daniel and Monica, on the other side, didn't know what to do, and Andres, who was next to Sergio, was the only calm, like his brother, as if he knew how it would all end. 

“Silene, please” said Anibal as he put a hand on her shoulder. She took his hand away, and seemed even angrier. 

“Oh come on! I'm not the only one who's noticed it, am I? Come on, Professor, why do you think I decide to suddenly lose it, huh?" 

She had gotten up from her chair and was now looking at Sergio and pointing at him. Raquel couldn't understand how her boyfriend could remain so calm in front of her, she had said his nickname so mockingly, she held back to say what she was thinking. And it seemed that Martin, Daniel and even Alicia thought like her. All of her friends were looking at the two siblings in disbelief. They knew that Silene would likely to act like that, but not so soon, and certainly not to Sergio. 

“Notice what, Silene? That you're making a fool of yourself right now?" 

Silene had approached and Sergio had stood up in turn. He knew how to handle Silene, and he wouldn't let her win.   
Andres had stood up too, and put himself at their side, probably to hold Silene back. The others hadn't moved from their seats. The atmosphere had totally changed, and they had understood that it was becoming a problem between brother and sister, and they couldn't handle it, even though it was actually an only one-sided problem actually. 

“And do you love the person you're being since a few months? You're not here anymore, Sergio joder. Come on Andres, tell him you think like me" she said looking at him trying to find support and quickly turned her gaze back to Sergio. "And don't lecture me, ok? Don't play your Professor thing, it doesn't work with me." 

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Raquel could see Sergio was starting to lose his patience with the way Silene talked to him. 

"Are you serious right now? You're asking me what's wrong with me? You're worried about me now? Where were you when I needed you, huh? Probably fucking her," 

She said, pointing to Raquel, but Sergio and Raquel didn't have time to answer, she almost spat at Sergio and pointed him at his chest at each accusation. 

"Since you've been with her, you're not yourself anymore. You don't spend any more time with us. Where have you been on Friday nights? Even at work I don't see you anymore! Where were you when I needed you because I didn't know how to deal with the whole situation with Anibal and I needed your advice or just to be with my brother? Where were you when I cried at night because I felt abandoned because the only person who swore to always be by my side wasn't? Where were you that weekend when I came crying to your door and heard from your neighbor that you were away on a romantic weekend getaway? From your fucking neighbor coño! You promised to always be by my side, even more when I needed you. You promised me when we were in that fucking place all those fucking years ago, and all it takes is a hot chick to come along and you forget all the things you promised to me!" 

Silene was crying now, her face was red at her screams, she was so angry. Sergio seemed to be helpless at each accusation, getting sadder and sadder and more and more downhearted. Everyone kept silent at what was going on, too afraid to be in front of that war scene. Andres had tried to intervene but Silene's voice was masking his own words.

“You are a fucking selfish, Sergio. You only think of yourself. Everything you say, everything you do, is fake. I hate you Sergio, I wish I never met you, I wish you had die-” 

Everyone grasped what she was going to say. She truly went over the line. Andres had now belted Silene's waist to keep her from continuing, he was now angry too, as she continued to point at his chest, she had totally freaked out and Sergio looked so dejected. He didn't even look in her eyes anymore and was looking at his foot, lost in his thoughts. No one expected her to say an atrocity like that, and everyone was so shocked. Alicia and Monica had tears in their eyes, Agata seemed petrified, Raquel was soon crying, Martin had his head in his hands, just like Daniel and Anibal. Raquel didn't know what to do, he seamed so heartbreakingly. 

Then, Sergio looked at Silene again, tears clearly rolling down his cheeks.

“I wish you had what? Come on, finish it!” 

  
“I fucking hate you! I hate you!!” she was now screaming and Andres was dragging her out of the room, yelling at her too. Sergio shook his head and left for the outside the   
house, destroyed from what had just happened.

They could still hear Silene's cries mingling with her tears, and Andres yelling at her too. Everyone looked at each other, they didn't know what to do. And while Raquel was going to join Sergio, Anibal got up and went to the door.

"I'm going to see him, it's kind of my fault after all"

And he left, leaving this group of friends who were in turn so shocked and shot down by such sudden hatred. 

It had now been at least 15 minutes since Silene went crazy and Sergio and Anibal had left. No one was talking at the table anymore, they couldn't anyway, Silene's and especially Andres's screams could be clearly heard from the kitchen. 

"I can't believe you're daring to say that”, “you're unbearable”, “it's disgusting what you've just said" Andres kept shouting. Silene tried to answer his cries, but they still could hear her crying. 

"I can't believe what she said... what a bitch! I've always said she's going to do this one day, she's unmanageable," finally says Martin, more for himself than for others. 

Alicia nodded her head at what he had just said and Raquel saw Agata not moving from her seat, totally disappointed with the way the evening went. 

"It's all my fault," Raquel said simply, looked downhearted too. 

"Honey, don't you dare say that. Silene is the only responsible for her behaviour," said Monica, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. 

"Silene is like that, stubborn and impulsive, she will soon regret what she said and apologise," says Daniel, trying to understand her friend's behaviour. 

"Obviously she's going to apologize! Did you hear all the horrible things she said?" exclaimed Martin, banging his fist on the table. 

"Poor Sergio... I can't even imagine how he must feel," said Alicia, shaking her head, sad about it all. 

Raquel went to answer when Andres came into the room. He seemed so angry, and he went straight to sit down. Martin put a comforting hand on his hair, and Andres spoke: 

"She went upstairs... I didn't understand what just happened." 

"It happened that she goes crazy as often, and this time she went too far," replied Martin, sure of himself. Andres nodded his head and after a few seconds, raised his gaze towards Raquel: 

"Don't take it personally, it wasn't against you. She is jealous, protective and you captured our brother's heart. She used to have him for herself, she will have to get used to having you here, that's all" Raquel didn't answer and remained in her thoughts. 

"Where's Sergio?" Alicia asked Andres.

"Anibal sent me a message. He took one of the bikes from the garage for a ride, to clear his head. Anibal decided to follow him, just in case." 

They remained silent for a while, until they understood what had just happened.   
After a few minutes, Agata decided to go up to see her friend. Silene was her best friend, and even though she didn't approve of what she had just done, she felt like going to see how she was doing, especially after such a strong crisis. 

"You're really going to have to calm her down Andres. I never said anything, especially for Sergio as he miraculously supported her, but now she's just crossed the line," said Martin, he was trying to stay calm. 

"I know" Andres simply said. 

"I don't think you understood what she said Andres. She just said that she wishes your brother was dead, she wishes his death for God's sake " Martin was also starting to get angry at his husband's lack of response. 

"You think I didn't understand that? Do you think it doesn't hurt me to know what my little brother must be thinking right now? I've spent years raising him and saving him from that shit, don't tell me what I should understand while you can't understand it yourself!!!" Andres was also getting angry at Martin. He got up and walked along with the room. 

Another silence came. Finally, Daniel and Monica decided to go up to their room, as did Alicia. Raquel had decided to stay there waiting for Sergio. 

But while everyone was more or less trying to wish good night, especially after such an event, Andres' phone rang from his pocket. He looked at the caller and quickly picked it up. 

"Yes Ani'... wait, what's going on? Don't shout! Damn it Anibal, stop shouting and explain to me! .... What? Fuck ... ok, go with them, I'm coming" 

Raquel sensed something was wrong. They were all there watching Andres screaming on the phone, they could hear Anibal's screams on the phone too without understanding what he was saying. Andres quickly turned white with tears in his eyes. He hung up and looked at his friends who were waiting impatiently for an answer: 

"It's Sergio, something bad happened”. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola everyone! 
> 
> Thanks for the support, as always. I truly appreciate it. I've received a lot of ideas for the next chapters, and, most importantly, recommendations for the way I write. It's really great that you're making this kind of remark like that, I can only get better.   
> So thank you again, you're great and adorable. 
> 
> New chapter today... and well, don't be upset ok? 
> 
> See you on Wednesday and take care :) 
> 
> (I'm on vacation... and I might be able to give you a little surprise haha...)

A few moments earlier.

Anibal had found Sergio sitting outside on the stairs, his eyes lost in front of him. The young man had seen that his brother-in-law was silently crying. He sat quietly beside him and waited a while before speaking.

"You know she didn't mean a single word she said" 

The dark-haired man said nothing and Anibal continued: 

"She felt as if you abandoned her. When she needed you, you weren't there. You were spending all your time with Raquel lately and it's really great Profe because the two of you found each other, you look good together and you seem so happy. But she had a hard time not having you for herself as she used to" 

Sergio turned to him and said:

"She should have been happy for me instead of telling me all this." 

"I know Profe, but you know Silene..."

"I'm fed up with her behavior. I've always been there for her, Anibal, always. Instead of being happy that I'm finally in love with a fantastic woman, she ignored her, treated her like shit, and wished me dead." 

Anibal said nothing, and even though he was right. As silence had set in, Anibal saw Sergio suddenly get up and walked towards the garage. 

"What are you doing?" 

"Don't worry about me Anibal, I'm just going for a ride, I need to think" he said as he stepped over the bike and turned it on. He took the helmet and left the property. 

Anibal sighed and decided to follow him in his car. He didn't want to leave him alone right now. He sent a quick message to Andres and followed Sergio through the darkness of the night. 

They were on a deserted road, no one around. Trees and mountains surrounded them. Everything was perfect, they were sailing on the roads, respecting the speed limits, Anibal was just keeping an eye on Sergio. They weren't very far from the house, he had followed Sergio who had taken a little road so that he could be lost in his thoughts while keeping a watchful eye on his driving... 

When it happened. 

The black bike was still in front of him, when suddenly, out of nowhere, a truck came to the intersection and hit the bike hard. 

Anibal saw Sergio's body flying a few meters away from the impact as well as the bike following him closely. By surprise, the truck had slowed down, but too late. Anibal screamed and stopped his car immediately. He got out in a hurry and ran towards Sergio's inert body on the side of the road. 

The driver of the truck had walked towards them, not daring to come closer.   
Anibal was shaking hard and kept shouting his name, but he didn't dare touch him. Sergio didn't answer at all. Anibal was crying over the inert body of his friend, and seeing that the driver had already called for help.   
Sergio was on his left side, and Anibal could see that his shoulder was at an odd angle to the rest of his body, as was his wrist. Sergio was wearing only a helmet but no protective clothing as they used to wear when they go on riding with him and Daniel, so his thin jacket and jeans were all torn and Anibal saw that Sergio had his whole left side burning, and all the blood coming out of his wounds... His helmet was thrown further during the impact and Anibal saw a huge wound covering his forehead and his hair, blood was all over his face. Anibal thought he was vomiting from seeing his friend in such a state. He didn't even dare to check if he could feel his heart beating. 

"I called for help, they're on their way," the driver said. But Anibal wouldn't listen to him, and tried to wake up his friend. 

For Anibal, minutes seemed like hours when he finally heard the ambulance sirens. The driver went to get help and they quickly reached Sergio's body who hadn't moved an inch since the impact with the truck. They pushed Anibal and he let them take care of his friend. He got up, walked away while keeping an eye on his friend and held his head in his hands. He saw the policemen questioning the driver and finally, they headed towards him. The young man recounted everything he saw and even though the driver confessed that he hadn't respected the stop sign, too tired from his day's work, Anibal refrained from jumping down his throat. He wanted to kill this guy, but his friend's condition was the most important thing right now. 

"Sergio has always been careful on his bike, this guy ran into him, Sergio has always been careful on his bike, Sergio has always been careful on his bike" he repeated and repeated. 

After taking care of Sergio, the rescuers headed towards Anibal before leaving: 

"Sir, we're taking your friend to the hospital, his condition is very critical, do you know his emergency contacts?" 

He saw the stretcher carrying Sergio's still lifeless body to the ambulance, and Anibal realised he had to tell the others. 

“I'll call his brother” said Anibal with a trembling voice. How in the hell was he supposed to announce something like that? 

Anibal was now in the waiting room. Sitting in an uncomfortable chair with his head in his hands.   
The paramedics had wasted no time and left immediately. Anibal didn't know how to handle it, he had put the bike, or at least what was left of it, on the side of the road, and the cops had done what was necessary. He had called Andres, and he didn't know how, but he had managed to make him understand that he had to come to the hospital in Madrid because something bad had happened. He didn't know what time it was or how long Sergio was now with the doctors who had been warned of a serious injury, but he had been surprised by the shouts that he recognised as being those of Andres. 

He looked up and saw all his friends at the entrance to the waiting room. As he had expected, they were all there. He had never seen Andres in this state before, his eyes red, tears running down his cheeks, totally distraught. Martin, at his side, wasn't getting better, but he was supporting his husband. Alicia, very worried, literally supported Raquel who was in her arms. The woman looked nothing like he had ever known: she was in the same state as Andres, if not worse. She was totally panicked and seemed inconsolable. Monica and Daniel were in the back with Agata, also crying. Silene wasn't there, and Anibal felt like a stab in the heart. Where was she? 

He got up and Andres walked straight towards him, taking him in a big hug and the cryings to the two men started again. 

No one exchanged words and finally everyone sat down except Andres and Anibal. Andres said: 

"What happened Ani? The nurses at the front desk wouldn't tell us anything, they didn't know anything and told us to wait here" 

Anibal sighed and took a deep breath: 

"I was following Sergio and I assure you Andres and you know it, he's always careful on the bike, and Dani, you know it too, Sergio has always been careful". Daniel nodded his head and dried his tears. "He only put on his helmet, he didn't take his jacket, or his boots, he didn't think about it. And I should have told him to take them, but I forgot Andres, I'm so sorry." The young man's tears redoubled and Andres took his head in his hands and tried to calm him down. Anibal took a deep breath and continued: "I was following him closely, we were alone on the road, and all of a sudden a truck came along and hit him hard. So hard Andres. I saw him... his body..." he couldn't go on and Anibal collapsed in tears in Andres' arms. Raquel, who had listened carefully to what Anibal was saying, also collapsed in tears in Alicia's arms. Everybody was crying, Monica was in tears in Daniel's arms, Agata had got up and gone to a corner of the room. Martin was next to Andres and Anibal. 

Anibal dried his cheeks with his sleeves and said: "The driver said he was tired from his day and that he hadn't seen the stop sign, that motherfucker. They were so much blood Andres.. and his shoulder was.. I tried to wake Sergio up, but he didn't answer, and the paramedics came and told me to call you. I got here and they told me to wait too. I'm so sorry Andres, believe me, I beg you, I'm so so sorry" Anibal returned to Andres' arms. 

After a long moment, they were all sitting down, Monica had put her head on Daniel's shoulder, she was no longer crying but couldn't hide her sadness. Daniel put his hand on his future wife's shoulder, lost in his thoughts.   
Agata and Alicia were more or less in the same situation, except that Agata was still crying silently.   
Martin had put his elbows in his lap and seemed very impatient. Anibal had put his head against the wall, looking upwards with his eyes in the void as well. Andres and Raquel were still inconsolable. Andres alternated between walking along with the waiting room and sitting down. He was worried, so worried about his brother. Raquel was still crying so much. She had tons of scenarios in her head, and in any case, a life without Sergio at her side made her cry even more. She didn't even have tears anymore, her eyes were blank, she was biting her nails, her heart was clenching her chest, and she was having such a hard time breathing. She just wanted to see him, touch him, talk to him, kiss him, and make sure he was okay. 

"Silene?" Anibal simply asked to no one in particular, but he wanted to know where his girlfriend was. 

"Don't say the name of that bitch in my presence," Martin said angrily. No one answered after that but Agata said: 

"She didn't want to come" 

As Martin was about to make another bloody remark, a doctor entered the room and asked for Sergio Marquina's family. Everybody got up in a hurry around the doctor who immediately asked who Andres De Fonollosa was. 

"It's me, I'm Andres De Fonollosa, I'm Sergio's brother." 

"You're the person to contact if there's a problem, can you follow me please?" 

Andres rushed up, while the others looked at him with great hope. They were about to hear from Sergio. Was it good or bad? Hope must have come first now. Sergio must be fine. He had to be. Andres went to follow him, but stopped in his track and asked: 

"His wife can come?" pointing to Raquel, who thought she was jumping into her brother-in-law's arms because she was so happy to hear from her boyfriend. The doctor nodded. Andres put an arm around Raquel's shoulders and said to the others: 

"Wait for us here, we'll be right back"

They were both sitting in an office in front of the doctor who was pulling out a whole bunch of papers. Andres and Raquel were holding hands and waiting impatiently for him to speak. 

"I'm the trauma doctor who took care of your husband and brother. We took him in after a motorcycle accident. We were notified of his condition when he arrived at the hospital. The initial assessment that we were given was not up to the standard that we found, in the sense that ... I am sorry, but your husband and brother's condition is very critical.   
After several tests, it was confirmed that his left wrist is broken, as well as his left leg tibia. He has several broken ribs, the left clavicle is broken as well. Multiple severe burns all along his left side.  
Besides, his loss of consciousness is due to the cranial shock he received, despite wearing the helmet. It appears to be a brain hematoma due to major bleeding. However, one of the broken ribs pierced his lung. We must operate as soon as possible to save both his brain and his lung. The operation is scheduled for tomorrow morning" 

With every word the doctor said, Raquel felt like she was going to faint. Why was this happening to him? She cried more and more and even though the pressure of Andres' hand made her more or less keep her eyes open, she was inconsolable. 

"What's going to happen to Sergio?" Andres asked, calm but far from serene. 

"Well, if the operation is successful, he will be placed in an artificial coma for the time of his recovery; if he remains conscious, the two operations and the injuries he suffered, especially his burns, will not help him and will make him suffer more than necessary, that's not the point. Of course, afterward, he will have a lot of work to do with his fractured limbs, and I am thinking especially of his clavicle. It will be very heavy and tiring for him, especially after a shock of such magnitude... But, um..."

"But what?" Andres asked impatiently, still worried. 

"It's the best-case scenario. Your brother might not survive. I prefer to warn you and prepare you. After such an accident with such serious injuries, especially his punctured lung and brain bleeding, the chances of survival are slim. And he will have lifelong after-effects" 

Andres let go of Raquel's hand to take his head in his hands. Raquel hid a scream of horror and tears ran down her face. She didn't want to believe it. This was absolute bullshit. Give me back my Sergio por favor.. she begged. 

"But your brother and your husband is in very good physical condition. I will operate on his lung, and the best neurosurgeon of Madrid will take care of his bleeding first thing in the morning." 

The doctor faintly smiled at both of them. He showed them the papers to sign and Andres took care of them. 

“Can we see him please?” Raquel was able to say, it was almost a whisper, her voice was broken and they could hear all the pain she felt. 

"I'd rather not, Señora Marquina. Your husband is in a state that you wouldn't want to see. Go home, take all of your family with you, and I'll make sure that we will call you first thing in the morning when we'll start his surgeries” 

Andres nodded, Raquel cried even more but accepted what the doctors had said. What they could do? From the state she was just from hearing what he was going through, she might   
faint when she'll see him. Survive this mi amor I beg you, she thought again and again. 

On the way home to Andres and Martin's house, Raquel was in their car with Alicia. The silence was appalling as in Monica and Daniel's car, and in Anibal's with Agata. Nobody wanted to believe Andres when he told them in the waiting room what was happening with Sergio. But the state they were both in made them understand how serious the situation was. 

As soon as they arrived home, Andres was the first to enter, letting Martin, Raquel and Alicia through. They saw Silene waiting for them at the same table as before, with a coffee in her hands. She seemed to be in her thoughts and still had tears in her eyes. She didn't know what had happened, because when Andres had gone upstairs to tell her that something had happened, she had slammed the door right in his face. 

Silene got up and walked towards them: 

"It took you more than 5 hours, what happe-?" she didn't have time to finish her sentence and Raquel walked up to her and smacked her hard.

Silene was surprised, held her cheek, a tear slipping down at the force of her slap. She didn't understand anything and Martin told her: 

"You deserved it, and be glad it wasn't me who didn't smack you" and they all left the room, except for Andres who was looking at his sister. 

“Andres, please, tell me” Silene was crying, and Andres saw that her cheek had the mark of Raquel's hand. 

“Sergio had an accident. The doctor said he didn't know if he would survive, he's going into surgery tomorrow because he is bleeding from his brain and one of his ribs has punctured his lung. He has other injuries, but since you just wished him dead, you must be happy?" 

Silene shouted at Andres ordering him to tell the truth, that it wasn't possible, and she broke into tears, collapsing to the ground. Even though Andres was angry with her and couldn't hear the voice in his head telling him it was all her fault, he knelt beside Silene and took her in his arms. 

Upstairs, Raquel had returned to their room, the one she was supposed to share with Sergio. She went inside and her eyes were immediately on their two bags at the foot of the bed. They hadn't had time to unpack them as Sergio had been in such a hurry to show her the whole house. She walked over to the two bags and sat down on the floor next to them. She opened his bag and looked for one of his T-shirts. She took off hers and her jeans and put on his shirt. She wanted to feel him close to her. Since they had been together, they hadn't spent a night apart. Tonight, and actually, even though the night was almost over now, she wouldn't sleep in his arms. She wouldn't be allowed to his kisses, his beard stroking her neck and making her spine shiver, she wouldn't be allowed to his sweet words as she fell asleep. Everything happened very quickly, from the moment Silene came home until the discussion with the doctor in his office. Raquel couldn't believe it. They were happy, so happy. And all of a sudden, the source of her happiness had been taken away from her. How was she gonna do it? The doctor said he couldn't survive it. And even if he did, he'd be in a coma, and for how long? She just wanted him with her right now. Raquel stuck her nose down the collar of his shirt, straightened her knees and cried. How did she still have tears? She was in so much pain, she felt pain everywhere. It was like her heart had been removed, her eyes were burning, and she had a big headache from all the cries. Even though Raquel didn't believe in God, she now prayed for Sergio to survive this. 

After a while, she decided to take another of his T-shirts and lay down on the bed and hold it against her. Her nostrils were filled with the smell of him, this smell which was so familiar. Even though she missed his arms around her waist and his warm body against her, it was already a bit of him with her. 

She was on her side, her back facing the door. Someone knocked on the door. She heard the door open and then close. She didn't want company and wanted to be alone. She wanted   
Sergio, and only Sergio. 

"Martin asked me to rest while we waited for some news, but I couldn't. I ran into Alicia in the corridors and she didn't dare come in to see how you were holding up, so I thought I should come to see you." 

She didn't turn around, but felt the bed move close to her. Andres was sitting against the headboard. 

"Silene is inconsolable, she keeps having panic attacks. She thinks it's her fault, and even though Sergio took that ride after her crisis, she's not responsible for the driving of this Hijo de puta. Ani and Agata are with her, but everything is going to shit, Raquel. I don't know what to do. It's usually Sergio who knows what to do. And now-" 

Raquel heard Andres crying. She turned around and saw him with his head in his hands. She stood up and sat down beside him. She simply put a comforting hand on his arm and waited. He dried her tears and resumed: 

"Sergio is the only family I have left. I fought so hard to get him his treatments when he was young. I can't see him leave us because of a stupid accident." 

A ball formed in Andres' throat and he continued with a trembling voice: 

"He told me so many times that he didn't need any love distractions, that he was fine on his own. And as soon as you walked into his life, everything changed. I know you are the best thing that has ever happened to him. You're all he thinks about. He's become another man because of you, a better man, a happier man. He knew from the beginning that you were the love of his life and I've never seen mi hermanito like that. Whatever happens Raquel, I wanted to thank you for making him so happy during the last days of his life." 

All it took was his words to make Raquel cry again. She loved him so much. And to hear these words from the closest person to Sergio was her comforting her a little. Their story wasn't over, it was just beginning. She was so sure of it. Sergio couldn't abandon her, he promised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all the medical information... I was a big fan of Grey's Anatomy, or at least before Shonda made almost all my favorite characters go away, so let's say I tried to redo an episode in my head and analyse what a motorcycle accident can do. I hope no doctor will read this fic and say "IT'S FAKE" x) 
> 
> I liked writing about Andres/Raquel. Because let's be honest, we were soooooooo robbed of scenes between them. I can imagine how Andres teased and made Sergio blushed by all of his remarks and innuendos.... what a waste... I know you feel the same, so I will try to write more about them interacting with each other in the future ;)


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE !!!!! 
> 
> Hola a todos ! It's not Wednesday, I know, but... This is a surprise chapter! I love when my favorite writers publish chapters when I don't expect it, and I thought you might like this little gift as well ;)
> 
> I wrote this chapter with a lot of emotion, and I wanted to share it with you quickly. I enjoyed writing it and I took into account some of your remarks. So, I hope you will like it, and I will try to continue this way in the future. 
> 
> Thank you again for all your support, kudos, and comments, I'm very grateful! That's why I'm giving you this chapter, I wanted to please you. So let me know what you think about it ;) 
> 
> I'll give you the next chapter on Wednesday, as usual. 
> 
> See you on Wednesday and take care :)

Three months.

Three long months had passed since Sergio's accident. So much had happened since that tragic accident that destroyed the group of friends. 

First of all, Sergio's surgeries had gone more or less well. The two surgeons saved his brain and lung but Sergio had one cardiac arrest on the surgical table which led to complications. He was placed in an artificial coma and on a ventilator to help his lung heal. His burns had healed well and all of his fractures were now almost healed too, so as expected, specialized nurses and doctors sometimes were coming to exercise him so that he would not lose strength and regain almost "normal" leg, shoulder and wrist movements. But since those three months, he had shown no signs of waking up even though he'd been breathing on his own for three weeks now. Without the constant beeping of the machine, it was as if he was no longer there as he hadn't moved an inch. 

Following this tragic accident, Daniel and Monica had decided to postpone their wedding date, it was inconceivable for them to get married without Sergio, and even less so because Sergio was one of Daniel's best men. The wedding dress, the bridesmaids' dresses, the men's suits, all the decoration... were now waiting impatiently for Sergio's awakening in the garage in Toledo. And to be honest, no one wanted to party and celebrate love when something so terrible had happened. 

Silene had gotten away from everyone. She felt so bad about what had happened that she had stopped seeing her friends. Except for Anibal of course who comforted her as much as he could and Agata too. But the young man kept blaming himself for the accident. He was so sad and torn between his own culpability and the depressive state of his girlfriend.   
After all, she'd gone mad at her brother, wished him dead, and a few hours later, he was in a hospital bed, and indeed, almost dead. She felt haunted and couldn't forgive herself for what she'd done. She had visited Sergio only once, and had never returned, feeling unworthy to be by his side and call him her brother. 

Andres and Martin alternated between work and the hospital. One of them was always at Sergio's bedside so that he wouldn't be alone. They did everything they could to make Sergio's stay in the hospital more pleasant. They had hired the best physiotherapists of Spain for the recovery of his fractures, had asked for advice from different doctors... they didn't give up hope, even if seeing him in this state without improvement made them lose their minds too. But they supported each other, Sergio was family, the only family they had. And you don't abandon family. 

Friday evenings in Hanoi no longer existed, and the group of friends no longer met there. After all, they were missing someone. And why would they drink, or dance, when they didn't feel like it?   
The girls sometimes met at Raquel's home with her mother, and the others asked for news from Andres and Martin, because no one dared to face the image of their lifeless and inert friend in a hospital bed.

So, since the accident, nothing has been the same. They missed Sergio, and Andres felt so much anger, not only towards the driver who hadn't been able to stop at the sign, or against Silene who had caused Sergio's hasty leaving that evening, but also against everyone.  
Everyone called him, but no one came to see Sergio. It was either him or Martin by his sides in this white room, and sometimes Raquel. But the woman was so lost without his brother, that he didn't mind her coming around more often. Each time, one of them had to help her get home.   
Even his colleagues, Sergio's boss Prieto, and some of his university students and fellow professors came to see him, send cards or to lay flowers.   
None of their friends had come, because they were suffering from seeing Sergio in that state. But Andres deeply disagreed. It was not his definition of friendship. Sergio needed them to wake up and to get better. Andres suffered greatly from seeing him like this, reminding him of terrible moments from their childhood. He only wanted one thing, for his brother to wake up and fix this problem with those he once called "their family".

As for Raquel... it was more complicated. She stopped working for a while to stay with him at the beginning of his stay at the hospital. But seeing him in that state demoralized and destroyed her. So she'd almost stopped visiting. She kept going, but she couldn't stay, always ending up crying. She missed him so much and it was unbearable, she cried all the time, and was a shadow of her former self. She would get up, go to work, call Andres and Martin every night to get news, cry again, eat a little, and try to sleep. She had nightmares all the time where she saw Sergio die without her being able to help him, waking up screaming his name, calling him in despair, remembering that he was no longer there, and waiting for the time to go back to work the next day. She never left her home except for work and from time to time, when the feeling was too unbearable, she would go to Sergio's place: sleeping in his bed, washing herself with his products, letting herself emerge in his clothes... 

One month ago, Monica called Raquel's mother for help. She had explained the situation to her and Marivi had indeed come to Madrid for her daughter. Raquel had come home one evening after work and had the pleasant surprise to find her mother making paella in her kitchen, her favorite dish. She burst into tears and thanked her for being present. Marivi had not left and wisely waited for her son-in-law to wake up to properly meet him. She was huge support for her daughter, always finding the right words to soothe her. 

Although the days were complicated for Raquel, the hardest time was the nights. 

During the day, she had her work, her patients, Monica, Meité, her mom was there now thanks to Monica, and surely Agata, Alicia, Monica and Daniel would come to see her at the end of the day at her apartment, or on weekends. They tried to never leave her alone. So even though it was difficult to get Raquel out of her home, the group would force her to come to their dinners, to go shopping, or to have coffee together. They found ways to distract her. To get her to try to think about something else. 

Sometimes it worked. 

Raquel would get dragged along by her friends, dragged along by their craziness, their jokes, their stories that they could tell her. 

And other times, it didn't work. 

Often because Andres would tell her that he wasn't getting better, or simply because she missed him or was too worried about him. And her friends didn't hold it against her, because even if they never showed it in front of Raquel, they were just as sad and worried to see Sergio in that state. But it was not easy to cheer her up because in the end, everyone was sad and devastated. 

But at night... Raquel couldn't do it anymore.   
At night, they were both of them, always together sharing the same bed, always his arms around her waist, always his beard that pricked the skin of her neck so pleasantly, always his tall waist that overhung her 1.64... so even if during the day, she was rarely alone, it was the night when she found herself thinking too much and having dark thoughts. 

She hardly slept at all. 

Usually they spent long moments talking to each other, lying on their beds, their arms around each other. They would talk about anything and everything, about interesting topics and other less... It had become a kind of ritual between them, spending hours talking while waiting for sleep to come. Why that moment? Simply because Sergio had realized very early in their relationship that the night, for Raquel, was haunted by her ex and what she had experienced.   
At the beginning of their relationship, Sergio had woken up many and many times by Raquel's screams, or sometimes even by her abrupt movements. Even once, she punched him in the nose, and he had to wake her up by taking her in his arms while she struggled and had to put her fully dressed under cold shower water. So, to avoid his sudden awakening and especially to prevent Raquel from having nightmares, Sergio would talk to her about what he had done during the day, what he had learned, ask her what she thought about it, or even, when she had been away for a girls' day with Alicia, Monica or/and Agata, he would ask her questions, why she had bought these jeans and not another one. It was the only way he had found to keep her from thinking about anything else. 

Now... she was all alone. All alone with her dark thoughts.   
Her nightmares were about all the violence she'd experienced with Alberto, but also about everything her brain could think of about her boyfriend's death. She was fed up, sad and above all very tired. She just wanted him to come back and reassure her as only he could about her insecurities. 

The first moment that Sergio was able to reassure her was shortly after the beginning of them as a couple.   
Raquel was in Sergio's kitchen starting to prepare food. Sergio had asked her to start without him as he was finishing work in his room which served as an office. He had a contract to finish, numbers to check, and Raquel had agreed to start without him. 

Sergio was tall. Much taller than Raquel. His kitchen utensils were in his closets, high up... Within his reach. But not within Raquel's reach. When she had stretched her arm out as far as she could to try to retrieve a dish from one of his high cupboards, all the dishes had followed, tumbling down, making a huge noise when everything fell.   
Sergio, when he arrived in the kitchen in a hurry, very worried to hear a lot of noise all of a sudden, he ran to the kitchen and cried out "Raquel? What happened?”  
He had arrived and he saw Raquel trying to pick up the glass shards from some of the dishes. Most of them were broken, some of them were intact. She was crouched on the kitchen floor, crying, and apologising and apologising over and over again. 

"Raquel?? What happened?" he asked, quickly joining her on the floor. 

He had tried to take her hands, to make her stop picking up the pieces of glass, afraid she might cut herself. She had quickly moved away from him, head down, while continuing to pick up and apologize. He approached and tried again to make her stop. But she started screaming, and had taken further refuge against the sink cupboard. 

"Raquel!!! Please stop! Tell me if you're hurt? Please?" 

Sergio begged, trying to take her in his arms. But he could see she wasn't in her normal state. Worried, he tried to see that she wasn't hurt. And once he was sure that she was physically okay, he approached her again, little by little, not wanting to frighten her as she had bent her knees against her chest, folded her head in her lap and continued to cry. 

He had come close to her, and very gently, he had taken her in his arms. At the first calm touch, she had reached out but not away. So he had continued his gait and soon he was against her, his arms and legs surrounding her.   
Unconsciously, Raquel leaned against him and started to relax. She was still in the same position, but this time with Sergio's arms around her, against his chest. Her crying had stopped but she still hadn't raised her head. 

After some time, he had dared to put his hand through her hair. Seeing that she wasn't moving, he gave her a tender kiss on her silky hair, and had put his forehead against her temple. 

"Raquel... are you feeling better?" 

She didn't answer, but he felt her nod. After a while, as Sergio now ran his hands over her arms and on her back, to relax her more and more, and to soothe her, she had said in a thin broken voice: 

"Once I broke a dish... Alberto... he didn't like it. It was the first time he kicked me. It was so violent that I lost consciousness. I just think what happened reminded me of the violence of what I've been through." 

Sergio understood and didn't blame her, far from it. He kissed her on the temple this time. As she was about to say "I'm sorry", Sergio cut her off: 

"Never apologize for that."

"I lost control... I'm sorr-"

"Stop it. Don't apologize for what that asshole put you through. It is not your fault, don't ever forget that, please" 

After a moment's silence, he added: "Anyway, these dishes were ugly, you did me a favor by breaking them." 

She laughed a little and finally looked up. Sergio could see her red, swollen eyes, the tears on her face... He carefully moved his hand forward and dried her tears with his thumbs. She thanked him silently and leaned her head against his chest in the hollow of his neck. He put his arm around her shoulder and the two of them watched the broken dishes on the floor... all the pieces of glass that littered the kitchen floor.

"We're going to order in tonight. What would you like?" he asked, kissing her again on the temple. 

It was the first time Sergio had had to face one of her many crises where Alberto resurfaced in her life with him. And each time, he had been able to calm her down, find the right words, the right gestures, to make her understand that he would never hurt her and that she can trust him.   
Her outbursts often consisted of flashbacks of what Alberto had done to her. Whether it was a gesture that was too rough, whether it was from a stranger in the street or a friend in a burst of joy, or even a noise that was too sudden... Raquel was paralyzed with fright, or she would hide in a corner and cower in tears. Sergio always knew how to soothe her, and he was the first to be surprised. He always found the right words, the right moves... As if he always knew how Raquel and her mind worked, as if they were connected. 

The night Sergio had to put Raquel under cold water... it was a night that started well. They had gone to bed after caressing each other tenderly. They fell asleep in each other's arms. And during the night, Sergio felt kicks that suddenly woke him up. Illuminated by the dim street light, he saw his girlfriend starting to struggle against the blankets, waving her feet and arms, a thin sweat began to cover her face and stuck her hair to her forehead. He gradually regained consciousness and tried to wake her up, at first by taking her arm and shaking it a little, but it had the opposite effect since as soon as Sergio put his hand on her arm, she pushed him away and punched him. It wasn't strong enough but still enough to surprise Sergio who backed away.   
He saw Raquel struggling more and more and starting to scream and cry. His heart-wrung at the sight of his weak and helpless girlfriend, now trapped in her nightmare. He didn't think twice about it, and took her in his arms, one arm under her knees and the other under her arms and Sergio lifted her up. She was still struggling and Sergio ran into the bathroom, opened the door with his elbow, and quickly went into the shower, while Raquel was still struggling and still crying. Again with his elbow, he pressed the faucet and the cold water grabbed them both. 

The cold water surprised Raquel who jumped up and screamed in surprise. She opened her eyes directly, finally awake, and noticed where she was. Sergio, always so worried, asked her again and again how she was feeling. She threw herself into his arms, her head buried in Sergio's neck, who had taken her back in his arms and stroked her back.   
He had the reflex to regulate the water temperature and they stayed that way for a long time. 

"I..." she whispered against his skin. 

"Don't worry," he said simply by placing one of his hands on her hair. 

Once calmed down and soothed, she wanted to apologize, especially when he told her that she had punched him. He told her again and again that it was nothing. He had asked her what she was dreaming about, but she didn't answer him right away. He quickly understood what it was all about. Finally, he had offered her to warm herself up under a blanket by drinking hot chocolate and she had willingly accepted. After being tenderly reassured, she fell asleep in his arms. And her sleep had been much more serene. 

It was a very big episode that the two of them didn't want to remember. Sometimes she would have more nightmares, but they were less severe and he could always wake her up and reassure her. But now, for the past three months, her nightmares had come back... worse that he was often the cause of her nightmares... and he wasn't there for her. She woke up, crying even more, remembering why she was alone in that big bed, taking refuge in his pillow that didn't carry his scent so much anymore, and always chose one of his shirts that she used to bury in her nostrils. 

One night, after almost three months alone without him, she decided to go to the hospital. She was tired of staying at home waiting and didn't want to put up with her mother's pitying look. It was one of those days when she was just tired and everything was getting on her nerves. So she went to the hospital to see him. Because even unconscious, it was as if he still had this power over her to soothe her, to reassure her. She just wanted to be by his sides. 

It was always difficult for her to park, to get inside the hospital, to walk past the nurses' reception, who now recognized her and didn't ask why she was coming. "Mrs. Marquina, the wife of the man who was still in a coma".   
That's how they recognised her, even though her heart always missed a beat when they called her by his name.   
It was always difficult to press the elevator button, a kind of automatism that unconsciously guided her towards Sergio. It was always difficult to have to walk along the big white corridor, difficult because even though she wanted to be next to him more than anything else... well, it wasn't him. It was like he was asleep, all the time. 

She knocked on the door and walked right in. Andres was beside him and was reading a book. Sergio, still lying there, pale and motionless, his arms along his body above the thin duvet, trendy things plugged on his arms... Andres raised his head as soon as he heard the door open and smiled at her. She gave it back to him weakly and walked towards Sergio. She stooped down, kissed him on the temple, caressed his beard with one hand and sat down on the chair on the other side of his bed. 

"How are you?" he asked, putting his book down beside Sergio. 

“Things could be better," she said, smiling a little. "There's no improvement?" she asked, taking Sergio's hand. 

"The nurse came about 20 minutes ago. His burns are healing well, as are the scars. She said there was no improvement, but no deterioration either. So he was fine." 

"He should wake up now, shouldn't he?" He sensed his sister-in-law was worried, Andres decided to reassure her as much as he could. 

"According to them, Sergio has to wake up someday, he's the one who decides now. It should be a matter of time" he said with a wink. 

She nodded and there was a comfortable silence between them where Andres was looking at his brother and Raquel was playing with his fingers and tracing the lines of his hand. 

"Andres?" He looked up as soon as he heard her call him. "What was he like as a child?" 

Andres looked at her surprised. He knew his brother had told her what they had been through as kids, her question confused him a bit. 

"I thought you knew about-"

"Yes, I know he's been sick. I know about your parents, about the orphanage. I want to know your point of view, how was he like?" 

"Well... When my parents told me I was going to have a little brother I was more than happy. My parents had had a hard time having a child, I always thought I was going to be an only child. But the day my mother left to give birth... I never saw her again and instead I had a little baby who was very sick. I felt right away that I had to take care of him, to protect him. When we were growing up, of course it was complicated, so instead of going to play with my friends outside after school, I went to see my little baby brother in the hospital, I explained to him how the outside world worked. He was very curious, as soon as he could ask questions, he did so. And I don't need to tell you how clever he was already, he did my homework most of the time, by the way. He had no friends. He kept telling me "What's the point of making friends, they all die here". He only had me, and our father. And afterward, at the orphanage, he didn't change much. Always with his nose stuck in the books, learning and learning. He wanted so much to learn, whether it was making origami, learning how to play an instrument, learning a new language. Sergio had always been a lone wolf, and rarely let people get close to him"

After a few seconds of silence, like he was looking for his words for what's next, he added: 

"It's a good thing he went to college with Silene in Madrid. I think it freed him up a bit, his first mischief, his first binge drinking, go to parties, made friends... Because I sincerely think that without her, without Daniel, Anibal and Agata at that time, he would most certainly have ended up in a cottage lost in the middle of the woods, all alone”. 

Andres looked up at Raquel and saw that she had a tender smile on her face and looked at his brother as if he was one of the wonders of the world. But she was so sad... she had lost the sparkle in her eyes. He didn't recognised the Raquel as he knew her. 

"But, I've never seen Sergio smile as much as when he's with you." 

He saw that she was blushing and he continued: 

"In fact, the very night we met, I knew. I didn't wait for him to tell me that night: "Andres, I think I might like Raquel, she's very beautiful, don't you think?" I could see in his eyes that you were going to change my little brother's life." 

She smiled more and Andres saw that she was beginning to be moved.

"I may look like an old man, but now, with you, I can leave with peace of mind. You are the perfect woman for him, you make him extremely happy" 

“He makes me so happy too” she said, still blushing and wiping her tears. 

"What I mean is that I spent my whole life telling him that love is worth living, and now that he's found you, it's just a matter of him waking up so he doesn't waste any more time," he said as he stood up and sit on his bed with one hand on his shoulder. 

"Our paternal grandparents were Italian, and they told me many stories about our family and especially about fascism during their days in Italy. They taught me this song which I then taught Sergio in turn, as he will certainly teach your children and so on. We used to sing it all the time when things were really complicated when we were young" 

Raquel saw Andres stoop down to his brother and whispered loud enough for her to hear him: 

una mattina mi sono alzato   
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao   
una mattina mi sono alzato   
E ho trovato l'invasor 

O partigiano portami via   
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao   
O partigiano portami via   
Ché mi sento di morir 

...

Raquel swore that she saw Sergio's eyelids move a little as soon as Andres pronounced these words. She pressed his hand again, kissed it on the top while Andres was still tenderly singing the lyrics of the Italian resistance song to his brother's ear.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys ! 
> 
> A new chapter as usual :) 
> 
> Thank you again for your nice comments and kudos. I feel like I'm improving in my writing, and I'm paying more and more attention to your remarks about it and to your ideas/wishes. Thank you <3 
> 
> This will be the last chapter where Sergio is in a coma because I can't write something where one of my favorite characters isn't in good shape, it becomes over my strength ^^
> 
> I loved writing this chapter, there are a few moments where I'm proud of myself ahah. Tell me what do you think about it.  
> And above all, as always, feel free to give your opinion on the whole story, or what you would like to see in the next chapters. 
> 
> I'll post the next chapter on Saturday, as usual ;) 
> 
> Enjoy <3

It was a Wednesday. 

Today, Sergio had been in the hospital for 99 days. 

Time passed quickly and so slowly for Raquel. For her, it was yesterday when the doctor told her that Sergio was in a coma, and at the same time, so many things had happened, she missed his presence terribly. Tonight was one of those evenings when she was sitting on the couch in the dark in his apartment, in her pajamas which was his shirt on her back. Lifeless, she was once again remembering everything that happened in that apartment... so many good memories which she could only hold on now. 

A few hours earlier, she had decided to come here, under the advice of her mother: "Go to his house hija, you have all the right to be sad. You miss him and I wouldn't blame you. But you have to understand that it is not good for you. This is not healthy. You're not you anymore Raquel, and I'm sure your Sergio would hate to see you like this. So go to his house and come back happy, for you and... for him." 

And here she was. Seating in the dark, tears rolling down in her cheeks in his apartment. 

She had naturally walked to the room in his apartment that served as an office for his work, but not only. In that room, everything breathed Sergio: a large and tidy desk, a shelf that made almost the entire wall full of books, a large and comfortable armchair where she loved to spend hours watching him work, a piano on the side next to a guitar.  
On his desk, although there were files related to his work, books as well, there were three pictures on it that he had said he will always cherish more than anything: the first one was a picture of all their friends in Hanoi where they were younger. A glass in their hand, one arm up and down, all sitting at the table, and very happy. The second picture was not unknown to Raquel since Andres had the same one on his living room wall: one of his parents, his mother pregnant with him, and a younger Andres in between, all smiling. And finally, the last picture, was certainly Raquel's favorite. They had asked a passer-by to take a picture of them on their first romantic weekend holiday in Valencia. They were sitting on the sand, she was between his legs, back to chest. He had wrapped his two arms around her neck, and she had put her hands on his thighs. Both of them had a loving smile on their faces. At the same time the passer-by had taken the picture, his nose was plunged into her neck and she was laughing out loud. It was a beautiful picture. And by the way, Raquel had the same one in her room. 

Her mind decided to wander over her happiest memories that she had shared with him here. And one of the ones she enjoyed the most was certainly the day they danced together for the first time. 

"Come on, Sergio, dance with me!" 

Exclaimed Raquel in only a shirt and panties. Sergio, sitting on the armchair, was trying to read. But Raquel, that night, had decided otherwise. She wanted to dance... with him. He had this smile that brought out those adorable dimples, and he was wearing nothing but jogging pants. She danced ridiculously in front of him, trying to get him up. 

"I don't know how to dance Raquel" 

"I'm not asking you to tango, I want to move with you" 

"I don't know how," he said, always smiling, one eye in his book and the other looking at his girlfriend, trying every trick to make him stand up. 

He went back to his book, and was surprised at the silence. When all of a sudden, George Michael startled him. He laughed out loud. She walked up to him, happy with his reaction, and held out her hands. He shook his head, still laughing. He dropped his book on the table and accepted her hands. She broadly smiled, and he stood in front of her, waiting for instructions. 

She guided him, showed him how to move in rhythm, first with his feet, then with his legs, arms... At one point, when he was late in the tempo, she took his hips and said sensually "you know how to move those hips, you just have to do the opposite movement". 

He had laughed again at her audacity and had taken her in his arms, wrapping her neck with both arms, tenderly laid his head on hers. She sighed with happiness and enveloped him by his waist. They moved silently over George Michael's voice, happy to be in each other's arms. 

When “wake me up before you go-go” was next, they broke off and danced like crazy. Sergio finally understood why dancing was so fun... it was just a matter of being with the right person. Raquel was happy to have convinced Sergio to dance with her, because in the end he wasn't that bad, on the contrary. And they had spend a lovely and funny moment together.  
After a few dances, Sergio let himself fall in the armchair, Raquel on top of him. They were breathless, sweats falling down their faces, and looked at each other, stars in their eyes, a smile on their lips. 

"Happy?" he asked, putting a lock of hair back behind her ear. 

"Very happy. And besides, you are a good dancer" 

"You're just saying that so I'll dance again with you"

"No, I mean it, you dance pretty well," she said as she put her hands on his chest and straightened up on his knees. As she was moving unconsciously her hips over his, and Sergio's eyes darkened at the friction of their intimate parts. 

"Well now, I'll show you how I like to move my hips with you" he said savagely attacking her neck. She burst out laughing and put her hands on his hair guided him where he certainly knows how to play with her. 

Raquel smiled through her tears. It was really a good memory in which they were so happy. It reminded her one of the last times they were both in his bathroom, not so long before his accident. 

One Saturday night, shortly before their date, this time a reservation at a restaurant and then watching a movie at a theater, Raquel was in the bath, relaxing. Sergio got a late call from his boss. They had a surprise meeting with investors and he was supposed to be there. "I'll go quickly, you get ready and when I come back, I'll take you to the restaurant". 

Almost an hour later, she was quietly in her bath, not paying any attention to the time. She didn't know what time his reservation was, and in fact, she was far too comfortable in her bath to care. 

It was Sergio's voice on the way in that brought her out of her dreams: "Raaaaaaquel? Where are you?" 

"In the bathroom cariňo" 

He arrived, so well-dressed up in his tuxedo. She loved it when he was wearing casual clothes, but seeing him in his tuxedos always made her shiver. He was so handsome in them. As soon as his eyes fell on her, he smiled. She also smiled at him, showing him the bath foam that partially covered her body. He approached and knelt down in front of the bathtub. He put both hands on the rim and put his head on it.  
She brought her hand to his cheek and stroked it, which left some foam on his beard, they smiled. She continued to caress his face and after a while he captured her hand and left kisses in the hollow of her palm, then on her fingers, her wrist, and went up all along her arm before kissing her properly. 

"I'm going to get all wet if you keep it up, and we'll waste even more time," he said as he continued to kiss her. 

She laughed at his behavior, as if she was the one causing that mess... and she playfully wrapped both arms around his neck, wetting his jacket and shirt. He gasped with surprise and finally, with a hint of courage, he joined her fully dressed in the water. She burst out laughing as he stretched between her legs and continued to kiss her.

"Now we're going to be late" 

"We're definitely going to be late" he laughed as he attacked her neck, then the top of her breasts, as she continued stroking his hair. 

It wasn't until much later that they were both in the kitchen cooking. When the restaurant reservation had been canceled, they had decided to stay at his place and spend the evening together in their own bubble. Raquel was in charge of the dessert, and Sergio of the dish. Side by side, dancing to the rhythm of the radio gently, they would sometimes steal kisses, caresses, tender glances from each other. 

She had made him taste her chocolate mousse with her fingertips. He had captured it with his mouth, looking at her with burning eyes. Even though his gaze and the tongue wrapped around her finger left no room for imagination, she was still hungry, even more after their session in the bathtub. 

"Ok loverboy, let's calm down or we'll never eat" he laughed and agreed with her. 

But once the meal was well eaten, the chocolate mousse was eaten too, they were both laying on the couch, watching a movie. She was curled up against his thigh, one hand playing with his fingers, and his arm around her shoulders; 

"Are you happy?" 

She turned to him, leaving the TV for a moment, and looked at him in amazement; 

"Why are you asking me this question?"

"I just want to know if, as your boyfriend, I'm doing my job well, which one of the characteristics is to make you happy," he said very seriously. She was very moved as he was so serious about her well-being with him... If only he knew she'd never been as happy since the day she met him. 

"Today, I'm only happy when I'm with you, cariňo."

He smiled, proud of her answer and bent down to kiss her tenderly. 

"You know you're in a long-term relationship with me, right?" he asked as he played with her hair carelessly. 

"What? Are you telling me this isn't a one-night stand that's gone on a bit longer?" she said, pretending to be annoyed. 

He turned sharply back to her at her words and saw that she was laughing at him. He shook his head laughing and turned his attention back to her hair. He really loved her hair, that was undeniable. 

"What's going on in that clever brain of yours..." she asked as she drew the lines on his forehead. 

"I was just wondering if you're ready to get married again, considering how your first marriage went." 

She smiled tenderly at him and continued to draw the lines of his face, going through his nose, his lips, the curves of his beard, letting him talk about what was on his mind. 

"First, I should know if you'd be okay to marry me. Then, how long do I have to wait before I propose. And especially under what circumstances. For our wedding, you'll look beautiful, gorgeous, even magnificent, because you already are without any clothes on," she blushed at this, "so I can't even imagine in a beautiful white wedding dress that would highlight all your perfect shapes, walking down the aisle to me... to seal our love for the eternity." 

She swallowed a wave of tears that threatened to run down and rose a little so that her mouth could replace her finger. She was kissing him now, on the forehead, eyebrows, nose, cheeks, on the chin, while avoiding his lips to let him talk about their future. 

"Of course, I should ask your mother first, and your grandfather too. I couldn't ask you to take my name without your family's approval. I may be old-fashioned, but I want to do the right thing. You're the woman of my life, I want everything to be perfect." 

As he kept talking and talking, Raquel thought that she couldn't fall even more in love with him at that moment. She cut him straight and kissed him on the lips. He responded with great passion, sliding his hand through her hair to bring her even closer to him.  
She stopped, stayed very close to his lips and said very seriously: 

"I'll say yes. Without hesitation. I won't even give you time to finish asking me, I'll say yes, Sergio." 

He looked at her in disbelief. He didn't know it would be so easy to convince her to marry him. With all she'd been through, he would have understood that she didn't want to get married again. 

"Well... I'll just have to think of a proper proposal then," he said, taking refuge in her neck. She stroked his hair tenderly.  
After a while, Raquel decided to continue this way of thinking that he initiated. 

"Have you ever thought about having children?" As she continued stroking his hair and his hands were busy caressing her skin tenderly on her hips and arms. 

"As a matter of fact, I did think about it a few years ago. But with everything I went through when I was a kid, I was always afraid that my son or daughter would inherit my health problems, and since I didn't have the right woman by my side at that time in my life, I've never dared to think about having children since. But... with you... I could very well imagine a little girl with your eyes, your beautiful long hair running in the backyard of our house... what about you?" 

He straightened up to be at her height and looked at her tenderly while putting a strand of her hair back behind her ear. 

"Well, it's true that during the beginning of our relationship with Alberto, we thought about it.. Before he was an abuser, we thought about it, it was the logical following step after the marriage.. But our professional careers soon took over. And then, with everything he did to me, it was out of the question to raise a child in those conditions. But now, I could very well imagine a little boy with your brown eyes, your beautiful black wavy hair, always taking care and protecting his sister and mother just like his daddy," she says, stroking his cheek. 

He smiled stupidly when she said "daddy" and she had that same smile on her face that he couldn't resist, so he kissed her. Again and again. 

It was in those sweet memories that Raquel clanged how happy she was with him, and how much she loved him. They were talking about getting old together, spending their life together, getting married and having children just a few days ago. 

Tears falling on her cheeks, hands covering her face. 

God, I love you, please come back to me, she begged. 

It was the light from her cell phone, which had been muted, that took her out of her dreams. Standing in front of her, she saw the name “Andres” appeared. She had already had him on the phone in the early morning, so that call meant either that he had woken up or ... she didn't even want to think about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think ? Is Sergio gonna wake up? Is he... gonna die? If he wakes up, how will it happen? 
> 
> To write this chapter, I was inspired by Ghost of You by 5 Seconds of Summer (a beautiful song that makes me cry each time I listen to it) and One of Us by Abba (I'm a huuuuuuuuuge Abba fan ^^)


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! 
> 
> Another chapter today... I know you've been waiting for this :) I hope you'll enjoy this new chapter as I was enjoying writing it
> 
> I would like to thank all of you for your comments, your kudos... I really appreciate it! More than 400 kudos... it's really insane ! I keep receiving comments about how you love that story, and I'm so so grateful, so thank you so much! 
> 
> Enjoy ;)

"Raquel... please... Sergio woke up!!! Please come!!!!" 

Andres was laughing on the phone, and Raquel dared to ask him if it was true and not a bad joke: 

"Raquel, I assure you, I spoke to him, he's awake! Come here now" 

It didn't take much for Raquel to put on jeans and a pair of shoes and leave quickly for the hospital. 

She was crying, but this time with joy. And it hadn't happened to her for so long. She came running into the corridors of the hospital where Sergio was. And this time, the nurses weren't whispering at her for the same reasons. She ran down the hallway, and she saw Martin who was in front of the room, with a big smile on his face. He welcomed Raquel and took her in his arms, happy. 

"Explain to me, I want to know everything," she said as she walked away from Martin. 

"Tonight, we decided to go to a restaurant. I wanted to cheer Andres up as he was so... well you can imagine. And when we got to dessert, the hospital called us. He woke up in the early afternoon, but they decided to run some tests before calling us, and once everything went well, they indeed called us. Andres couldn't believe it, and once he could talk to him, we called you directly." 

Raquel took him back in her arms, too happy. 

"Did you get a chance to talk to him?" Raquel asked, wiping away her tears. Her cheeks hurt from smiling. 

"Yes, not so long ago. He's tired, he feels pain when he's breathing, and his back hurts too. But according to the doctors, it's normal. But he has almost no memory of the accident. The last thing he remembers is Silene and what she said to him." 

Raquel nodded her head, and said: 

"I'm so happy, Martin, so happy." 

They hugged each other again, relieved to know that Sergio had woken up. They laughed with joy, and waited impatiently for Andres to come back from his room. Raquel kept asking Martin what he was like, if he had some problems, or what he said.  
They didn't wait long as Andres came out a few minutes later. He had clearly cried, but his smile... it had been so long since they had seen him so happy. He left the door a little open for Raquel: 

"I think someone is waiting for you," he said smiling. Raquel took him in her arms, thanked him again and again and left a kiss on his cheek before leaving for the door. She blew and pushed the door open.

Finally, she thought. 

As soon as she entered, she saw him sitting on his bed. He was looking at her, his eyes shining, a big smile on his face. He didn't have his glasses on, his beard wasn't as well-trimmed as it used to, he looked extremely tired, and he was pale too, but Raquel didn't care. He was alive. Finally she saw his beautiful eyes that could make her do anything. She put a hand to her mouth to hide a sob and the tears flowed by themselves. 

"Come here babe," he said, opening his arms. She wasted no time and ran to him, practically throwing herself into his embrace. 

Once their bodies made contact, she stuck her nose into his neck and let the pressure drop. The tears were flowing, she clung to his chest, and he had taken her in his arms, whispering to her that he was fine, that it was all over, and caressing her hair, her back... Did they stay like that for minutes? hours? they didn't know it. It was only when Raquel was a little calmer that she stood away from him, but still in his arms. 

"Did I hurt you?" she said as she kept touching his face, checking him as if to make sure it was really him. 

"A little, but I'm okay, really." He was caressing her face, tenderly. 

“I missed you so much, I missed your voice, I missed your eyes, I missed your arms.. I missed you so so much cariňo” He laughed and took her in his arms again. 

“How are you holding up?” she said seating next to him on his bed. She was always touching him, had his hand in hers, touching his arms.

“My shoulder hurts, my leg hurts too. My burns are itchy, and they said they'll be taking the cast off my wrist soon " 

"What about your lung and your head?" she said, now caressing his beard. 

"It hurts when I breathe too hard, they also told me to take the oxygen mask to help me. And I have a headache, but it's okay, I think they drugged me too because I felt practically nothing comparing to when I woke up. And now that I have my wife with me, everything is better," he says, touching her cheek. He continued: "They told me that I could be suffering from memory loss, and when the doctor said that my wife was on her way, I told myself that I couldn't remember the day we got married, I hadn't proposed yet."

He smiled at her as she blushed. 

"That was a nice trick" 

"Andres initiated this idea first. So that I could spend more time with you in your room and at any time" she said, kissing his hand. 

They looked at each other lovingly. 

"What about you?" Sergio said as he took her in his arms, she leaned against his chest, paying attention to his shoulder this time. She hadn't been tender when she threw herself into his arms a little earlier. 

"It was horrible, Sergio... and I-" she collapsed. It hurt so much to see her like that, and he took her in his arms again. "I missed you terribly. I thought I was going to lose you, and I thought you were gonna die and.. I was going to die with you. I couldn't live without you by my side, I don't want to. Don't you ever do that to me again, cariňo, you hear me?" 

He wiped a tear from her cheek, and nodded. He couldn't imagine what she went through, because in her place, he certainly wouldn't have been able to stand up. He found her so strong, so brave. 

"Seeing you in that bed, not moving, breathing thanks to that thing... I came every day at first, but I couldn't anymore... Then I'd come only two or three times a week, and Andres and Martin would keep me informed. I couldn't go to work, even Monica called my mother to help me. She's been home for a month now, and she didn't want to leave until she met you, by the way" Sergio laughed at that, but Raquel continued: "I don't want to spend any more time without you cariňo, ever again" she said, taking him in her arms and kissing his neck. 

"I'm sorry you have to go through this, Raquel. I can't believe I spend 3 months here... But I promise I'll make sure to get out of here as soon as possible and we are going to live together, I'll meet my mother-in-law, and especially make up for all the time that I've wasted” He stopped and let a silence fell as if he was preparing himself for what it's coming next.  
“Do you remember a few days after our date? I told you that I thought that I was falling in love with you.. Well.. I was stupid. I love you Raquel. I'm in love with you. I'm a bit old but you are my first love" he said, taking her chin between two fingers of his paralyzed hand. She smiled through her tears: 

"I love you too Sergio, so much." 

And finally, they kissed. That kiss was a new discovery and a way to seal their love. It was the first time they confessed their love, the first time they exchanged these magical three words.. emotion deeply overwhelmed them. Through that burning kiss, they promised each other eternal and sincere love. 

After a long moment, Raquel came out of the room with great difficulty. A nurse had to give Sergio some tests, and Raquel took the opportunity to go out and call her mother. Marivi was extremely happy and wanted one thing now: to meet her son-in-law and for the two of them to be happy together. And to be honest, now she was dying to have grandchildren. 

Once the nurse went out, Raquel returned again but accompanied by Martin and Andres this time. She walked straight to his side in bed while he was lying down. Andres and Martin sat at the foot of the bed. Sergio looked even more tired than before and they saw that the oxygen mask was next to him.  
Martin explained to him what he had missed during his long sleep, Monica and Daniel who had postponed their wedding date, Anibal who had tried to grow a mustache but had failed miserably, or Martin who had entered in the wrong room in the hospital one time and was in the room of an old lady who was totally naked. Even though Sergio took part in the conversation a little, they could see that he was very tired and that he was holding his chest discreetly, probably in pain. 

"You look tired mi amor, we're going to leave”, says Raquel, stroking his hair. 

"No, stay, I want to know everything I missed," he said, closing his eyes as her hand tenderly touched his hair. 

"You've been asleep for three months and you still want to sleep you lazy ass..." Martin laughed. Sergio laughed at his remark and started coughing right soon. He held his chest and immediately Raquel helped him up and Andres handed him the mask. 

"We'll have plenty of time now, and we'll come back tomorrow," Andres said as he stood up. Sergio didn't even answer, he was already closing his eyes. 

Andres kissed him on his cheeks, and Martin also kissed him on his hair. 

"I'll be back tomorrow cariňo, love you" she kissed him on the cheeks, eyelids and forehead. He opened his eyes and she understood that he was trying to tell her "I love you too". She smiled at him and followed Andres and Martin outside, kissing him one last time before closing the door. 

The next morning, Raquel had been careful to put on make-up and dress well to go see Sergio. She'd been up all night, way too excited to find him. She had waited for the ideal time, and had waited patiently for her mother who was getting ready to meet her son-in-law. It was a little before noon, and Raquel arrived in front of Sergio's room. All of their friends were there, except for Andres and Martin. Daniel and Anibal were outside, coffee in hand. She hadn't seen Anibal for a long time, but decided to go and greet him politely anyway.  
These two seemed very happy and even had tears in the corner of their eyes. Even though she agreed with Andres about the fact that they should have come more often to see Sergio, she had to admit that they also cared deeply about him and they were great friends, as a family. And they were a huge support for her during hard times too. 

"Ladies... it's nice to see you so happy Raquel, we missed your smile" said Daniel as he kissed her on the cheeks. She smiled at him and Raquel officially introduced her mother to Anibal, Daniel had already met her one evening when he came to her house with Monica. 

"Monica and Agata are inside, Alicia went to get coffee." 

Marivi decided to go and meet the tall redhead, and later joined her daughter. Raquel thanked the two men and knocked on the door and entered. She found her boyfriend lying down, in the same position as yesterday but looking a little less pale. Agata was sitting in Indian style on his bed, and Monica was sitting next to him. They both had a big smile on their lips and Agata's eyes were all red.  
She went to kiss her boyfriend and asked him how his night went. She was about to sit down on the chair by the bed, but Monica left her place and took the chair in her place. 

"Very good," he said smiling. She looked at him suspiciously.

"The nurse told us he hadn't slept much and-" said Agata as she turned to Raquel 

"We really can't tell you anything," said Sergio as he cut her off.

"What do you mean?" Raquel asked, looking at Agata. She signaled to Sergio that she wasn't listening to him anymore.

"She told us his back was killing him, and that his cast was bothering him too. But his chest really seemed to hurt when he was breathing too hard and so he coughed a lot too," said Agata. 

"But isn't that normal?" Raquel asked worriedly. 

“See?! I told you I don't want her to get worried” said Sergio, pointing an accusing finger at Agata.

"She said yes, but it should get better from now on, but we really need to watch his condition" 

"I'm here, you know, I can ear what you're saying" said Sergio. Monica laughed, the poor man seemed downhearted to see his girlfriend not listening to him anymore and his friend playing doctors explaining what he had as if he wasn't there. 

"Until you tell the truth, I'm not listening to you," said Raquel with a little smile on her face even though she was worried for him. 

"Besides, the nurse wanted to go and help him earlier to take his shower, for his cast and back brace, giving instructions and all" Agata says jokingly. Raquel turned to him with big eyes. Sergio went to put his glasses back on, and Monica helped him:

"The nurse is very old, she insisted but he preferred to wait for his wife" Agata and Monica laughed and Sergio blushed. Raquel smiled at his behavior, he looked all embarrassed and was afraid he had made a mistake. 

"You did well cariňo, I'll help you with your shower" 

"You bet..." Alicia said as she entered with a cup of coffee. Daniel, Anibal and Marivi were behind her, coffee in hand for everyone. 

Alicia went to greet Sergio with a kiss on the cheek, even though she had seen him a few minutes before, she couldn't help but go and take him in her arms. Daniel and Anibal did the same, so happy to find their friend too. Finally, they decided to leave, wanted to let Marivi and Sergio meet each other properly. Alicia was still sitting on the bed waiting to see how the meeting between Raquel's mother and her boyfriend was going to go. Like she was literally at the movies. Agata gave her a small blow in the shoulder while laughing and dragged her friend outside. They all greeted each other one last time and promised to come back to their friend, never wanting to leave him alone, always leaving someone at his side now.  
The door closed and Raquel stood up next to her mother and looked at the two most important people in her life. 

"Mom, I wanted to introduce you to Sergio Marquina, my boyfriend for a few months now. Cariňo, this is my mother, Marivi Murillo" 

Marivi walked up to Sergio and took his face between her two hands and kissed him on the cheeks noisily. 

"Hola Sergio, I'm so happy to finally meet you, I've heard so much about you" said Marivi, pinching his cheeks. Raquel saw Sergio freezing and blushing, uncomfortable at moments of affection from her mother.

"The pleasure is very much shared Mrs. Murillo, and believe me, I would have liked to meet you in other circumstances," said Sergio, smiling despite her mother's behavior. Raquel was moved as the two started talking together mainly about Sergio's physical condition. Her mother had taken place on the chair and Raquel seat next to him, on the bed, always keeping his hand and hers, and silently watching them getting to know each other. 

“How do you feel Sergio? And I don't want lies” Marivi said as if she was talking to a little boy. 

“To be honest with you, my back hurts a lot, as does my chest. I don't feel any more pain in my leg and I'm fed up with the cast, but I think I'll get better later, it's just a matter of time and rest," he said with a cough. 

"Okay, I think that must be normal with everything you've been through. And besides, I never want to get a call from my daughter again because you're in a coma Sergio, even though I know it's not your fault."

Raquel began to want to reprimand her mother but Sergio cut her off:

"I understand, Mrs. Murillo, and I assure you that I never wanted to make your daughter cry." 

"Oh, I know you're a good man, and I know you're the one for her. Stop calling me Mrs Murillo, you can call me Marivi, I'm not that old" Sergio blushed, and the couple looked at each other lovingly. 

"By the way, what are your intentions towards her?" she said directly, while Raquel was so embarrassed that she hid her head behind Sergio, very uncomfortable. Sergio settled back in, and laughed nervously. 

"What do you mean, Marivi?" 

"I want grandchildren, and yours will be adorable." 

"Oh shit" swore Raquel, who sank deeper and deeper into Sergio's (healthy) shoulder. She sensed Sergio's shyness and he replied anyway: 

"I do plan to end my life with your daughter. And she tricked the whole hospital by saying she was my wife... The question will arise soon since I truly love her." 

Raquel smiled with his answer. They were taking their time, as he was referring to their first date. Even though his accident made her realize that she didn't want to waste any more time and enjoy every day with him. Marivi smiled and answered: 

"It was a test and you succeed. I know all that, but it's funny to see you both so embarrassed. And it makes me feel good to finally see a smile on my daughter's face, she's happy now that you're awake." 

Raquel stood up and smiled at Sergio, they squeezed hands and Marivi sighed of happiness. Raquel, her daughter who had lived through hell with Alberto, a man that she had never approved of and who had destroyed her, had finally found the man of her life. She knew she was now in good hands, and that forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before leaving, I would also tell you that I'm reaching the end of my story, and I think it will have about ten more chapters. The main story at least. I could add after bonus chapters, everything will depend on my desire to work more, or whatever ;) 
> 
> See you on Wednesday, as usual ;)


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola everyone ! I hope everyone is ok?
> 
> Again, I would love to thank you all of you, your kudos, comments ... I won't get used to this, you're so sweet and nice.. thank you so much :) 
> 
> I wanted to mention that from now on, I am not totally alone anymore... I met a great friend thanks to AO3 and this fic. She reads my chapters and gives me a lot of advice. She's adorable and so nice, so a special thanks to you, I'm very lucky to have met you :) <3
> 
> Here's a new chapter, I hope you'll like it and see you Saturday, as usual ;))

Marivi had left by taking Raquel's car. Raquel had stayed with Sergio all afternoon waiting for Andres to arrive. He was supposed to bring back some of Sergio's clothes. He still didn't know when he could go home. But Sergio kept asking the nurses when he could leave, he was already in a hurry. 

So, as soon as Marivi left, Sergio and Raquel had eaten together, or at least Raquel had forced Sergio to eat. He hadn't been hungry, but she had been convincing when she told him that if he got stronger, he could go home earlier. So he ate his entire lunch and finally the nurse arrived. She took his tray from him and said: 

"Now that your wife is here, you can proceed with the shower Mr. Marquina." 

The nurse advised Raquel for his cast and his brace and she let them. 

And that's how Raquel found herself helping Sergio wash. She had to help him get up and walk to the bathroom. They had been in the small bathroom, and she had helped him take off his clothes. Raquel was more than happy to help Sergio, but he had been very embarrassed. He had told her that he was more than embarrassed to have to ask his wife to wash him. But Raquel had reassured him, and told him that if he was so embarrassed, he would have to settle for her or else the hands of a nurse. She had also told him that relationships were also about helping your loved one in every way possible, and sometimes helping to wash him when he was hurt. 

"I just didn't think the first time you'd undress me for our reunion would be to wash me," he said as he kissed her.   
She laughed at his line and finally, he let her undress him.   
He was only wearing a hospital gown on his back and some shorts. He turned his back to her and blew slightly. He was stressed and still very embarrassed. 

Raquel had slowly unbuttoned his shirt and let his back brace show first. It was kind of a reversed man bra that held his shoulders and collarbones in place. Her hands slowly caressed the skin that was gradually becoming uncovered, and she could feel Sergio shivering. She then ran her hands over his hips, gently took off his shorts. He also slipped along his hips and he took off his legs and turned slowly towards her. He stood in front of her, in all of his gloriousness, and smiled gently at her. 

She now looked at the body of her beloved.   
His burns were healed, but they would certainly leave a lifelong mark, and Raquel didn't mind at all. Some of them were almost gone.   
She lowered her gaze to his leg, and his scar there. All along his tibia.   
Her gaze was drawn to his cast which, Raquel remembered, scratched him very much. She smiled as she remembered the little boy's face that he had made when the doctor told him that he would only remove it in four days.   
Then she saw the scar that was on his pectoral area, above his lung. She could see it too, and Raquel remembered that he still had trouble breathing and coughing sometimes. She swallowed the ball that formed in her throat.   
And finally, she saw his back brace, emphasizing the muscles of his upper body. He had lost some weight. Raquel promised herself that when they got home, she would make him eat like an ogre. 

Raquel refrained from huddling up to him, already because she had missed him so much, but mostly because seeing the burn marks along his left side, the cast on his arm, the scar along his leg, the one on his chest and his brace, she remembered how close she came to losing him forever. She had gone from so little to never seeing him again. She refrained from letting tears flow and thanked all the gods for giving her another chance, for living her life beside him. 

Sergio saw that his girlfriend became sad at the sight of his wounds. He didn't even dare to imagine what she must have gone through during his coma. 

"Raquel..." She looked up into his eyes and couldn't hold it in. He opened his arms and Raquel went in without hesitation. 

He let her cry against his naked chest. He caressed her back, her hair and kept whispering to her that he was sorry and he was ok. Tears were running down his chest, but he didn't care. All he cared about was the woman in his arms. His woman.   
She'd wrapped her arms around his waist and held him so tight, as if to keep him from leaving. 

"Raquel, my love... I'm fine, please stop crying" 

He heard her talking against his chest, but he didn't understand anything. He took her face with both hands and gently pulled her away from him for her to repeat. He cleared off her   
cheeks with his thumbs. 

"I almost lost you Sergio, forever." 

Seeing the woman of his life in this state, broke his heart. He placed a long and tender kiss on her forehead, then on her eyelids, then on her cheeks drying her tears a little and said to her: 

"I know mi amor, I'm terribly sorry." 

"Promise me that we'll stay together for the rest of our lives" she said, putting her head in the crook of his neck and laying tender kisses here. 

"I promise to spend the rest of my days by your side, and I bet you'll be sick of me." 

"No way" she laughed and he was happy to feel a smile forming behind her tears. They hugged each other for a long time, until Sergio shivered. He was still naked after all. Raquel laughed and slowly broke away from him. 

"Well, go to the shower young man" she said, gently slamming his buttocks. He laughed and pretended to be offended by her behavior. She helped him into the shower and finally, Sergio thought it wasn't so bad that Raquel helped him wash.

Coming out of the shower, clean and happy to have found themselves a little, Raquel helped Sergio walk to his bed when they saw that Andres was sitting on it with his legs crossed. 

"Just woke up and you're already jumping on him... my little brother will never heal at this rate." 

Raquel laughed and Andres got up to let Sergio settle down. 

"She was helping me with the shower." 

"You could have asked me," he said as he played with him. Raquel laughed at the way they both behaved and finally Andres said:

"I brought you some stuff" he said, pointing to a bag by the bed. Sergio thanked him. Andres continued: "I heard from the nurses that your friends came to see you this morning," he said sitting down with a hard face. Apparently, he wasn't ready to forgive them, Raquel thought. 

"They're your friends too" said Sergio. Raquel sat down beside him, taking his hand and caressing it. 

"Were. They stopped being my friends when none of them came to see you" Sergio sighed and said: 

"Andres please, I don't want to create conflict" 

"You don't create conflict, they are the problem." 

"Can you please forget about this and just enjoy that I'm awake and get on with our lives?" 

"Forget about what? That they've never shown any support? That they kept living like nothing ever happened? Only Martin and I were there for you, Sergio, every day. There was only Raquel, and well... let's not even talk about her, I thought she'd end up in the same state as you" he said sadly smiling to Raquel, he continued: "Anyway, they never were there for you, and we should welcome them with open arms? You don't know me very well, Hermanito" he said. 

"I understand what you felt. But I just woke up, I've lost 3 months of my life, I just want to get on, to pretend that nothing happened... well I mean tried... and with the people I love... por favor Andres" 

Andres looked at him suspiciously "You're too nice Sergio. But I want a serious conversation with them" he said. Sergio smiled at him and thanked him. 

"What do you think Raquel?" Sergio asked, turning to her. The look of the two brothers on her, Raquel sighed, she didn't want to interfere in this, but she had to be honest. 

"I was really not at my best during your coma cariňo, and it's a good thing they were there for me. They've been really shocked and confused over the last few months, and they couldn't see you like this. Even though they weren't there physically with you, they never stopped thinking about you and praying for you," she said as she stroked his beard. He smiled at her and turned towards Andres, with a look that said "I told you so". 

"You two go well together, forgive everyone..." Andres sighed, smiling at the two lovebirds. He was so happy that his brother had a woman like Raquel by his side. 

Finally, after a few days, Sergio was getting better and better. He was getting stronger, his injuries were less and less painful. His cast was removed, he was walking better with only one crutch, but his back was still a problem. He was going to keep his back brace for a long time. His rehabilitation sessions went perfectly, and he could always count on the presence of all his friends and his girlfriend, who was with him almost all the time. 

Three days after Sergio's awakening, before dinner time, they had all gathered in Sergio's room. The atmosphere was perfect, until Andres arrived and exploded... 

The door opened on Andres and Martin. 

"Well ... there are a lot of people here today... I'm not used to that... it's different from before," said Andres as he came in, almost slamming the door.   
He was standing in front of the door, hands on his hips, looking at them all nastily. Martin had moved to the side, knowing full well how his husband would react. 

"Andres, por favor..." Sergio had said as he sat in the chair by the bed. Raquel was sitting on the armrest, one arm around his shoulder, Monica, Daniel, Agata were on his bed, and Anibal was on another chair, Alicia sitting on the armrest too, close to Sergio. 

"Oh no Sergio, you better let me do the talking now" he said looking at them one by one. 

"Are you all right? Not too complicated these last few weeks for all of you?" Andres asked, he demanded answers but nobody dared to look up at the tall brown guy. 

"You're here as if nothing has happened... doesn't it bother you? Are you enjoying it?" 

Still no answer. 

"ANSWER ME JODER! Why are you here?" cried Andres, which startled them all. Sergio started to want to get up, but he was held back by Monica who said: 

"Andres... it wasn't easy for anyone, and you know how difficult-" 

"Oh no, don't say that Monica," he said as he approached. He continued: 

"Where were you when he was in a life-and-death coma?" 

"Andres..." said Sergio, but then he was cut off again.

“Daniel, when your mother passed away, Sergio stayed with you at the apartment all week. Monica, when you found out your parents were getting divorced, Sergio always supported you, even more so when your father passed away too. Anibal, how many times did Sergio come to see you in a hurry because Silene broke your heart again? Alicia, when you were depressed about your dead boyfriend, Sergio, was he there for you or not? And Agata, when you had problems with your gallery, Sergio was always the first to come and help you! He's always been there for you!!!" 

The others now looked at the ground, ashamed of their behavior towards the man who was always there for them. But seeing him in this state was so heartbreaking for all his friends that they couldn't bear it. 

"Do you think it was easy for me? I've been close to seeing him die before my eyes twice! Twice I've come to a hospital to see him in a bed! Where were you to help him? You were never there. You call yourselves friends, you call yourselves family, but you were none of those things. You don't deserve to be here..." 

Andres had now lowered his head, his hands hung down by his body, his shoulders lowered, all of which he was holding on to not cry. 

"Twice he almost fucking died in my arms... and you..." he was cut off with a huge sob and put a hand over his eyes, still lowered so that we couldn't see him. 

Sergio got up with difficulty, with tears in his eyes, and crossed the room to take his older brother in his arms. As soon as Sergio approached Andres, the older one took the younger in his arms, a big embrace bound them together. 

Everyone in the room was crying, the women were not hiding the emotion emerging from them, seeing the two men crying in each other's arms, when a tragedy of life could separate them. Anibal and Daniel tried to hide that they were crying. 

Martin, after a while, joined them; and Andres said, once quieter: 

"I'm going to need time to forgive you...", he said, wiping his tears. 

"We understand Andres and we accept your decision" said Alicia, sadly smiled through her tears. 

Was everything more or less back to normal? No. 

Silene still hadn't come back.   
One time, still at hospital, Sergio had asked Anibal and Agata what was happening to her, as he knew they were the only ones to stay in contact with her. “She's really not well, she's very sorry for what she did. She knows you're awake, but she doesn't dare to come. She thinks you don't want to see her anymore and she misses you very much”, they had said.

Sergio was coming home today, 7 days after waking up. Raquel and Andres had come to help him. They had decided to stay together at Sergio's and that Marivi would stay at her daughter's home, until their plans for Christmas And then, after the holidays, Raquel would come to live with him, definitely. 

"It's good to be home," he said, settling down on his couch. Raquel found herself standing in front of him, relieved seeing him at home too. He got up and took her by the waist and put her on his lap. 

"I missed someone to be truly at home," she smiled at him and stroked his beard. 

"It's so good to have you home too" 

He smiled and kissed her. They kissed fiercely, and Sergio slipped one of his hands under Raquel's blouse, ventured towards her chest. She sighed with happiness, she fucking missed his hands... But despite this undeniable lack, she stopped his hand on her breast and stopped their kiss.

"I did something wrong?" he asked with his childish look and clearly excited, as she felt his limb against her thigh. 

"Cariňo, you've just come back from the hospital, I don't want you to get hurt" she said, stroking tenderly his beard. 

She was right, even though he wanted to. But he felt better, actually he never felt so alive when he had her in his arms. 

He shook his head and reversed their position. She shouted in surprise and he found himself lying on top of her on the couch. He smiled at her and Raquel sighed. It wasn't serious at all, the doctors had said no physical activities... But Sergio had this irresistible smile on his face, and she had missed him so much. Her legs quickly wrapped around his waist, and he continued his assaults on her mouth, neck and chest. They rubbed their pelvis, a delicious feeling of excitement quickly reached them. It has been so long and she missed him so much. Raquel could swear that she would just come right now by their movements over their clothes. 

Their clothes quickly flew off, and they soon found themselves naked, body to body, skin to skin. He stood at her entrance and looked at her. She had tears in her eyes. She was looking at the scar on his chest, and at the burn marks that were gradually disappearing. He knew exactly what she was thinking. 

"Raquel, mi amor, look at me. I'm alive, with you, and I love you" on his last statement, he entered her with a sharp jerk. To the power of their connection, she closed her eyes with intensity and he suddenly stopped. 

"Raquel, babe, look at me" she managed to open her eyes again. They remained lips against lips, eyes open, while he began his comings and goings, firstly dangerously slow and delicious and after a while, more and more powerful. Both of them soon reached orgasm, while Sergio hadn't left her nerve-filled spot alone, which he knew perfectly well how to stimulate. 

She came quickly, and he followed her soon after. He stayed inside her for a long time, and to tell the truth, she was clinging to his arms and didn't want him to leave. 

"I missed you" 

"I love you," he replied. 

Finally, after some time, he straightened up and lay down beside her. He kept her close to him, his arms around her waist and she had taken refuge in his neck. 

"Does your back hurt?" 

"Raquel, I've never felt better than with you in my arms."


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! 
> 
> Thank you again for your comments, I love them and it allows me to write as much and especially to satisfy you! 
> 
> I would also like to thank Luisa, you are the best, and thank you for your advice and encouragement, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you <3
> 
> Thanks again and enjoy the reading ;)

A few days after Sergio's return, things were more or less back to normal, he would soon be back at work, and life with Raquel was splendid. Even though she did too much, feeding him too much, even brooding him... he couldn't blame her. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, she would wake up from a violent nightmare and throw herself into his arms. He didn't ask for any explanations. He just holds her tight. Always.

The only thing missing was his sister. 

That's why, in the early afternoon on this Saturday, he decided to take his car, without having warned Raquel, otherwise she would forbid him, and went to Silene's home. Raquel had gone to see Monica for a problem with their office, and he knew that Anibal was with Andres, he had had a problem with his computer. 

He knocked on her apartment door. He heard Silene shouting “Ani'! Did you forget your keys again?!" she said as she opened the door. She found herself face to face with Sergio, whom she hadn't seen for almost 4 months and soon found herself white. Her mouth was open and her eyes too, and she didn't dare say anything. 

"Can I come in?" Sergio asked calmly. 

Silene swallowed and opened the door to let him in. He walked past her and stood in the living room. Silene still hadn't spoken and stood behind him, playing with her nails. She didn't know what to do. Sergio turned around and told her: 

"Nothing's changed here..." Silene still didn't say anything and nodded her head. She didn't dare look him in the eye. 

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Silene still looked at the floor. 

"Are you at least happy to see me alive?" he said sharply

Silene looked up at him angrily. She came closer and pointed at him.

"How dare you say that? Of course I'm extremely happy to see you." She was crying now. 

Sergio smiled at her. She understood he'd said that to make her react. She dried her tears and looked him in the eyes. 

"Sergio... I... I don't know where I should start... I owe you an apology, an explanation and-" 

"Start by telling me you didn't mean a word you said, I'll feel a lot better after this." 

A new sob caught her, and Silene tried to talk but she was now in a violent outburst of tears and panic. Sergio walked towards her, and took her in his arms. She grabbed hold of his shirt, and flooded him with tears. After a few minutes when Sergio tried to calm her down, she calmly resumed; 

"I hate myself so much for telling you all these atrocities. and not because you almost died. You didn't deserve that, and I was a bitch. When everyone was gone, I was able to calm down and come to my senses that night, I realized I was so out of line. But when they came in and Raquel slapped me and I saw the state everyone was in, I understood. I should never have told you any of that, I didn't mean it. I promise you Sergio, I didn't mean a word of what I said. And when I went to see you the one and only time in the hospital, I hated myself even more, I felt like such a fool. Because you were in there in a coma because of me, and the last thing I said to you was that I wished that you were-" 

She was revived from a tearful outburst and Sergio stroked her hair. Even though her words still hurt, he couldn't stay angry with her for long, especially seeing the state she was in, either now in his arms, or since he was in the hospital, alone and excluded. And it is true that he kind of abandoned her. He had to admit he was in his own bubble of happiness, he kind of forgot he had friends, family. Even if that didn't excuse Silene's words, he admitted that he was so overwhelmed with happiness that he totally forgot about the outside world. 

"Can you ever forgive me?" she asked as she walked away from him and looked at him with hope. 

"Of course, but I need time, Silene. And most of all, you owe Raquel an apology as well." 

She sighed and nodded. She will do anything to be able to be by her guardian angel's side again. 

She accepted and offered him something to drink. She served him an orange juice, and he went to sit on her couch. She joined him, and after giving him a drink, she couldn't help but take him back in her arms, too happy to have him near her. They talked about that night. She explained to him how she had felt since the beginning of the relationship between him and Raquel, how excluded and lonely she felt. He was no longer there for her as he used to be, how she was always used to having him for herself, always being the first woman in his life and above all, how difficult it was to finally have to share him, however selfish it might seem. He said that it wasn't her fault but the driver's fault, but she still thought that she was the one who made him leave and so that he wouldn't have this accident. But he replied that what is done is done, and they shouldn't think about the past. “If I learned one thing from that experience is that I should enjoy every day that is giving to me as the last, carpe diem” he said.   
They talked for a long time, mainly about Sergio's recovery, his injuries and especially what he was expecting now. He had shown her his scars, and Silene had tears in her eyes again. 

"Don't worry... Women like scars," he laughed. 

"I don't think Raquel would agree with that," she said jokingly. They laughed and were cut off by the ringing of Sergio's phone. That was Raquel.

"Hola mi amor" says Sergio. And Silene could hear Raquel's voice worriedly asking him where he was. "Don't worry, I'm at Silene's place". A silence could be heard on the other side of the phone. Silene looked at Sergio and made him understand that Raquel had to come. "Raquel? Could you come over?" Another silence came and finally she agreed and hung up. 

"Thank you Silene"

"I owe her an apology too, why wait? I might as well do it now" Sergio agreed and they resumed their conversation. Until the doorbell rang in the apartment. Silene sighed to give herself courage and went to open the door for Raquel. 

"Hola Raquel, come in por favor” She didn't respond and went straight to Sergio who was still sitting on the couch. 

“You could have told me that you weren't at home. I was so worried. And you drove the car too! You're so unconscious, imagine if something had happened to you?" she said, hands on her hips. Sergio pinched his lips and whispered a sorry with a look of beaten dogs that he knew it would make her crack. 

"You're lucky I love you Marquina" she said kissing him. 

Silene felt embarrassed, until the two lovers turned towards her. Sergio looked at her with hope, it was time for Silene to sincerely apologize. 

"Raquel, I asked Sergio to ask you to come here because I wanted to apologize to you too. The way I treat you is unacceptable. I saw you as the woman who stole my brother from me, instead of seeing you as the one who taught him what love was. I should've been thanking you for making him so happy, and instead, I fell threaten by you... I'm so so sorry, and I hope you could forgive me too” she said, looking at the ground. She didn't dare to look at her in the eyes, too ashamed of her behavior. A silence fell and Silene expected something, even another slap from her would suffice. The silence was unbearable for Silene.

“Despite what you said, I know you love your brother and you didn't think a single word. Sometimes, when you're too angry, you can say things you don't think. And I guess, you were used to having him around you all the time. From your point of view, I stole him from you, that's true. But I'm deeply in love with your brother Silene, and if you feel like you want to spend time with him, you should talk instead of keeping everything inside you. Because one day, it could explode and lead to something like what happened during that night” 

Silene nodded, she understood what she was saying to her. 

“And from what you said a long time ago, during Andres and Martin's party, I won't break his heart. My intentions towards Sergio are only pure and sincere. I love him Silene... And I know it might be difficult for you, but you have to trust me”

She was abandoned as a baby by her parents, she has no family, was raised in an orphanage, and the only man who came into her life and in whom she trusted blindly was no longer spending time for her. Raquel didn't know if it was her too kind side that was showing, but she could understand Silene, it couldn't be easy for her. And unfortunately, she acted badly that night. 

Raquel looked at Silene, and the young woman seamed to understand. She was crying and kept saying “thank you”. 

Everyone smiled at each other. Time will heal all the words that had been said, but they were good. 

“Now, it's Andres and Martin's turn. They're going to kill me” whispered Silene. Sergio laughed at her, she was so right, and Raquel, who was sitting between the two siblings, smiled. She was going to have a hard time making them forgive her. 

That evening, things were going perfectly since Andres had invited everyone to spend the evening together for celebrating Sergio's return.   
Silene hadn't received a message, but Sergio had forced her to come. Sergio and Raquel had come to pick up Silene that evening. She was now in the back seat of Raquel's car, Raquel was driving. George Michael was singing, and Raquel kept laughing in front of Sergio who was still embarrassed. 

"So you found his passion for George Michael?" Silene asked as she laughed. Raquel agreed, and the brunette continued: "I could tell you so many more of his unmentionable secrets." 

"Hey ho! Stop it okay?" Sergio asked, turning to the two women. 

Raquel laughed and looked at her in the rearview mirror with an understanding look. 

"He's a huge Harry Potter fan, and he's a Gryffindor by the way. He took advantage of a business trip with the company to go to London last year just for the Harry Potter Studio Tour, he even wore the original Gryffindor cape and all. You should have seen him, he was so cute, like a kid in Disneyland!!" Raquel laughed as Sergio exclaimed from his seat. “He even cried at the end of the day!”

"But shut up!!!! Why are you doing this?" Sergio asked as he got back into the seat. Raquel was laughing so loud. 

“I'm a Slytherin by the way. I know you're a Ravenclaw, isn't she Sergio?” said Silene. Sergio was still embarrassed and angry but he looked at the both of them and agreed with Silene anyway, she was definitely a Ravenclaw. 

Sergio thought that it was only the beginning of this new torture, they had just started talking and Silene was saying things like that. And Raquel was waiting for all the revelations Silene would make about her boyfriend... The next few weeks will be very funny, Raquel thought. The two women would have so much interested talks.. Raquel couldn't wait for it: first, she was about to learn more and more of Sergio, and second, she would spend time with one of the most important people from his life... she couldn't wait for it. 

They quickly arrived at the couple's house and Raquel left first in the direction of the terrace while Sergio tried to reason with Silene. 

"Raquel? Why are you alone?" everyone was worried as she greeted them one by one.

"Sergio's on his way here"

No sooner had she finished her sentence than Sergio arrived and behind him, Silene, her head down, who didn't dare lookup. Most of the people remained silent, Martin got up from his chair, his fist on the table: 

"What's she doing here? We have not invited her!" 

Andres was silent, but had his arms folded. He was perplexed: clearly, he didn't appreciate her presence, but still, Sergio was with her.

"I invited her. I told her to come" 

"Sergio, I love you hermano, but this is my home, and I invite whoever I want, and she's not welcomed here," said Martin as he got up and went towards them, probably to make Silene leave. She stood behind Sergio by fear and Andres got up and took Martin's arm. Martin turned around, stunned by the change in the situation: 

"Oh come on Andres... you're going to agree to this?" 

"I just think we should give her time to explain before getting carried away" he said, nodding to Sergio. Silene stood beside him and asked if she could talk to Andres in private. Andres   
agreed and asked Sergio to come with them. And the three siblings left, leaving the others quite stunned too and Martin very angry. 

"She's got some nerve this one... do you approve this?" Martin asked, addressing Raquel who had sat between Alicia and Monica. 

"I was looking for Sergio this afternoon, and he was at her place. They explained, she apologized to him and me, and she seemed very sincere. She's very sorry" 

"She's really not well, you should at least listen to her," said Agata and Anibal agreed. 

“Well... if I were them, I won't accept her apologies, she went too far this time,” Martin said determined, and everyone kept their down. 

Most of them didn't have much of a say in the matter, only that their friend had been extremely disrespectful to their two other friends. They clearly did not approve of Silene's behavior, but she had her reasons why she felt this way and, above all, now wanted to explain and apologize. It was Silene after all, their little brunette tornado, stubborn and very impulsive. If Sergio, especially him, and Raquel, had forgiven her, if Andres took the time to listen to her, they would have to do the same. But obviously, Martin wasn't ready for that. 

They all started talking about other subjects, avoiding thinking about the three siblings who were in the house, but Martin was still angry at the end of the table, obviously lost in his thoughts. 

After almost an hour, Andres arrived and asked Martin to follow him. He sighed and followed his husband, again leaving a silence around the table. 

"I'm sure Andres has already forgiven Silene," said Alicia as she drank. 

"I hope so. I couldn't take it anymore, it was hard to support Silene while being with you," lamented Anibal. 

"It's true, even though she's a pain in the ass, we missed Silene," said Daniel, putting a friendly arm on his best friend's shoulders. 

"The most important thing is that we all go back to the way we were before," Monica said with a smile. 

"Have you forgiven her Raquel?" Agata asked. 

"Yes I have. Like I said, she seemed sincere. Sergio more or less told me what they said to each other, but everything will return to the way it was before, except that this time she will finally accept me on her brother's arm" Monica put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "And she promised to reveal more of Sergio's secrets actually" 

"Did she tell you about his obsession with Freddy Mercury?" Agata asked as she was laughing at the idea of reveling all of his secrets. 

Raquel turned around in astonishment. For Queen too? Raquel thought.

"No, about Harry Potter actually" Everyone laughed. 

That's when the three siblings arrived with Martin. All three of them had tears in their eyes, especially Silene who had clearly cried and was still crying. Martin still looked angry, but the two brothers had a smile on their faces. They sat down at the table, without a word, Sergio and Andres side by side with Daniel, and Martin took his place at the end of the table. Silene remained standing, and said: 

"My behavior has been deplorable. I wanted to apologize to all of you. I hope you can forgive me." 

Everyone looked at each other and Raquel saw that Sergio was looking at his friends with great hope in his eyes. Andres was just sitting cross-legged and waiting for a gesture from his friends, and Martin, still angry, was eating the peanuts. 

"I don't see any problem if Sergio doesn't see any," said Alicia, nodding her shoulders. Everyone responded as Alicia and Agata stood up to hug and kiss her friend. Silene took a little color and thanked them. She sat down next to Sergio and sighed. Andres handed her a beer, which she gladly accepted. 

After that, the discussion took a while to restart but finally Agata and Alicia had started a discussion about their plans for this Christmas. Raquel could see that Martin was still angry, but Andres and Sergio were talking animatedly with Silene, certainly to make up for their lost time. The young woman seemed less sad, and seeing them all together was good. It was impossible to have this atmosphere, they had to make up. The three of them were very beautiful together. It would have been such a waste.   
Raquel felt Monica elbowing her and they smiled at each other. 

"So now, we can get married?!" Daniel laughed as he kissed his fiancé. And the discussion resumed for this famous wedding that was so long awaited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think of this reconciliation ? 
> 
> Tell me your thoughts ;)


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ........ ....... ...... .... ... SURPRISE !
> 
> It wasn't planned at all ... but yesterday was my birthday and I wanted to give you a present ! 
> 
> So here's a new chapter, new drama, new problems ... I have taken into account what you asked me ;) 
> 
> BUT ! My dear Luisa made me understand that you were going to wish me dead... or at least a little bit ... 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy this new chapter and I hope you like it !!
> 
> Thanks again to all of you, and see you on Wednesday ;)

Christmas has arrived. Raquel loved Christmas, one of her favorite holidays. 

She remembered Christmas with her sister, mother and father, when she was little, it was her best memory. Years later, she was now surrounded by her friends, her wonderful boyfriend, and her mother. 

For this year, her first Christmas in Madrid, her first Christmas with Sergio, her first Christmas with her new friends, on the 23rd, they had to share a meal together. Then, everyone would go to their family, Andres would follow Martin to Italy to join the family of the smaller-brown-haired man, Agata would go to see her parents and her brother in the south of Spain, Monica and Daniel would spend their holidays with Agustin and Monica's mother in Madrid, Alicia would join her family who also lived in Madrid, Silene and Anibal would go to the young man's family, and finally, Sergio would accompany her to her family in the Basque Country so that he would meet them. The young woman wanted her boyfriend to meet her cousins, uncle and aunt and her grandfather. Sergio was nervous about this meeting but he felt also excited, he couldn't wait to meet her family, and asked for a certain thing..   
And then, they would all meet again from 26th to prepare Monica and Daniel's wedding, planned on December 29th, in Toledo.

On the evening of the 23rd, they all gathered at Andres and Martin's house, as it was the biggest house. The atmosphere was perfect from beginning to end, full of laughter, emotion and above all friendship and love. They danced, Sergio trained especially by Raquel, ate good food, cried after the reminder that this year they almost lost one of them, laughed at Daniel and Martin's jokes, and above all laughed and cried when they exchanged gifts. Everyone was overjoyed and delighted, and they all said goodbye very late at night, or rather early in the morning, especially between the three siblings who, for the first time, would each go their own way for Christmas. Usually, when Andres went to Italy, and Sergio didn't feel like coming with them, Sergio and Silene would be together, or when Sergio was invited to Agustin's house, Silene and Andres were together. Or when Silene would go to Anibal's family, the two men would be together.   
After promises to call each other on the evening of the 24th and even on Christmas day, each one went his own way, with a heavy heart but excited for their own plans. 

Marivi had finally decided to leave by train and would arrive before Sergio and Raquel. They had decided to take Raquel's car and they would switch drivers halfway. Sergio took the wheel first and then Raquel, so she wouldn't have to guide him to the family living place.   
They had arrived by nightfall, and Sergio could see the environment Raquel had grown up in. A very impressive big farm, lands everywhere. Their home was clearly lost in the middle of nowhere, fields and trees as far as the eye could see. She parked herself in the huge yard and looked at her boyfriend, Sergio could tell she was very excited about coming home, Raquel had a great and deep connection with her family and origins. 

"Finally arrived! I can't wait for you to meet my family and discover my place," she said, pointing with her hand behind her.

Raquel noticed from her seat how anxious Sergio was. 

"Cariňo, you're perfect, stop putting your jacket back on like that" she said, smoothing his jacket. 

He kept touching his hair, removing imaginary hairs from his clothes and especially pushing away his glasses. "Your beard is perfectly trimmed, your hair is perfect, you're very elegant, and most of all, I love you, so they'll love you, stop being so nervous" 

Sergio looked at her and smiled. He had a feeling that something wasn't going to go right, and that made him even more nervous. He was hoping her family would accept him for who he was.

She smiled at him one last time and they got out of the car, took their bags and they walked home. They didn't have time to knock on the door as Marivi welcomed them with open arms and kissed them. 

"It's late mom, you should be asleep," said Raquel, putting the bag down. 

"You really think I'm a grandma... which I can't wait to be by the way," she said laughing and went to kiss Sergio: "My dear Sergio, how are you? You look handsome as always. How is your back Cariňo?" she said, kissing him too. 

Sergio didn't have time to answer that a man with long hair and a mustache came into the room. Raquel screamed with joy and went to jump into his arms. She was obviously looking forward to seeing him and Sergio was happy to see Raquel so happy. 

Marivi wished them a good night, now satisfied that her daughter and son-in-law had arrived safely. 

"Sergio, this is Lucas, my favorite cousin," she said as the two men shook hands. Lucas sent him a big smile, and Sergio was reassured, this man seemed extremely nice to him. 

"Nice to meet you Sergio, I've heard a lot about you" Sergio blushed and nodded. 

"Are you the only one still awake?" Raquel asked, looking down a long corridor. 

"Yes, your mother wanted to wait for you. Juan was too tired, as were Yashin and Roberto, they were tired from the trip. Mari Carmen, Angel, Maria and Pablo are arriving tomorrow," said Lucas as he took them upstairs to what Sergio thought would be their room for the next three nights. Sergio noticed how big the house and how rustic and vintage it was. It was really beautiful; Sergio saw a large living room with a huge table, a fireplace with large sofas, a large kitchen, and several floors where there were certainly several bedrooms and bathrooms. This house was a big maze, all the furniture was quite old and made of wood, and strangely enough, even though it wasn't Sergio's style, he felt comfortable there. They arrived in front of a door and Lucas opened it and took them into a large room. A large wooden bed, a large wardrobe and a simple piece of furniture. It was quite cozy and Lucas said to them: 

"I hope you'll like it Sergio" he said, standing at the door. 

"Yes of course, thank you very much" he said with a smile and Raquel went to wrap her boyfriend's waist with both arms, standing next to him. 

"Thank you Lucas" He smiled one last time and wished them a good night. 

The two turned around and smiled at each other. They wasted no time and started for their night, they were tired from their journey. Once Raquel was safely in bed, in her boyfriend's arms, with her head on his chest as always and Sergio's hand playing with her hair, Raquel began to explain her relatives he was going to meet tomorrow: 

"So Juan is my grandfather, my father's father. He is very conventional and attached to the values of the family. He is very proud of his roots and if you don't want to create conflicts, don't talk about Spanish politics or royalty with him, or even independence, you know? Lucas is my cousin, his father, my father's brother, and his mother died in a car accident when he was young. Yashin and Roberto are my other twin cousins and Lucas' brothers, they all three live in Northern Europe, they are rarely at home. They are soldiers, and I think you'll get along very well with the three of them. And finally, Mari Carmen is the daughter of my father's other brother, Benito. She married Angel and they had two children, Maria and Pablo. I think you'll see them tomorrow" she said, drawing patterns with the tip of her finger on his chest. 

"I really hope it will go well" he says, dipping his nose in her hair. Raquel didn't understand why he was so anxious. She can understand as it was a big moment in someone's relationship, but Sergio seamed very worriedly. 

"Cariňo, what's wrong?" she said as she got up a little. Sergio sighed and said; 

"I don't know... I have a bad feeling about this. I don't know if it's because it's the first time I'm going to meet the family of the woman I love, and besides, I don't know how I should do it, I've never done this before. And I'm scared, too. Will they like me? Will they accept me as your boyfriend? It scares me to even think about the fact that they can hate me and disapprove our relationship" 

Sergio couldn't say yet but it was during Christmas that he planned to ask her mother and grandfather her hand. It was during these days that he wanted to ask her family's permission to propose to Raquel. And he was so afraid that it would go wrong... But he couldn't tell her why he truly felt scared. 

Raquel understood and put her head back on her spot on his chest and kissed him just above his heart. 

"You know... I can't predict what's going to happen. But I know my cousins are gonna love you. I'm indeed a little afraid of my grandfather's reaction, he didn't like me leaving the family house and going to live in Barcelona, marrying a stranger, those are his words by the way, and then getting divorced. And some of them don't know the truth about the reasons I asked the divorce. Just the twins, my mom and Lucas know that Alberto was.. anyway. So it's true that it might be difficult with him, but Sergio, you are the love of my life, and I love you. They're not the ones who'll make me change my feelings for you. You meet them, they'll meet the man I love and if they don't like you... that's their problem. You are going to spend your life with me, not with them." 

Raquel had said this line very convinced and Sergio was reassured. He pushed her away from his chest and gave her a kiss of great intensity and whispered an "I love you" against her lips. 

They split up, not wanting to engage in something that they would not be able to stop, after all, they were at Raquel's family's house, there was no way that for the first night they could wake everyone up because of their lovemaking. They calmly kissed each other one last time, settled back into each other's arms and Raquel quickly fell asleep.   
Sergio didn't fall asleep until late at night, his eyes stuck to the ceiling, Raquel's hair tickling his nose. Even though his words had reassured him a little, that bad feeling was still there...

Sergio woke up alone on this 24th. The place next to him was cold, Raquel must have been gone for a long time. He took a look at his watch on the bedside table and saw that it was over 10 a.m. It was quite late, even more so for a first awakening in the in-laws... He sighed and got up. He took a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and went to take a shower. He stopped on his way. He changed his mind and finally decided to opt for a white elegant shirt. 

He went out 15 minutes later, clean, well-dressed, and went to look for his girlfriend in the maze of his grandfather's house. 

He arrived at the second last landing before reaching the ground floor where two men, tall enough but shorter than him, bearded, bald, and tattooed, appeared in front of him. He was surprised but quickly deduced that they were Raquel's two cousins, Lucas' brothers. 

"You must be Sergio! Come here, big boy!" said the first one, taking him in his arms like a bear.

Sergio was surprised by this burst of joy but tried to return the embrace. He was very strong and sturdy, and after a few seconds of trying to hold his breath, the second one also took him in his arms, cutting off his breath and greeting him cheerfully. 

"We're very happy to meet you, Lucas told us that you're very nice and charming. You made quite an impression last night" 

Sergio blushed a little and returned their compliment. Raquel had indeed told him that they looked a bit rough at first, but they were very adorable. And they seemed to be. They began to explain how their day would go by leading him to what they had told him was the kitchen. 

"So today we're all going to... cook! We're all going to prepare the food for Christmas Eve and tomorrow we'll probably eat the leftovers... well.. Yash and I always make sure there are no leftovers for the next day," they laughed and Sergio could already tell that he was really going to like them.

They arrived at the kitchen where Sergio saw Lucas with Raquel working the dough of... something. Marivi was cutting vegetables. And a man, very old, sitting in a chair at the end of the table reading a newspaper. It was quite quiet, you could hear the sound of their hands with the dough and the few words that the cousins and Marivi were exchanging. He politely greeted them as he arrived and went to kiss Raquel, who was still working the dough. He walked towards her, put a kiss on her cheek and took off some of flour she had on her cheek, greeted Marivi who turned with great enthusiasm his embrace and shook Lucas' hand who helped his cousin. 

"Already awake sleepyhead?" Raquel joked. He laughed and pointed with his eyes at her grandfather who hadn't yet looked up from his newspaper. She stopped kneading the dough, and Lucas took over.   
She wiped her hands on her apron and said: 

"Grandpa?" 

He looked up and took a good look at Sergio. He swallowed as he felt himself being scrutinized from head to toe. He didn't know how to picture her grandfather first, but he had her brown eyes, her beautiful and piercing eyes. But while Raquel's were gentle, and always seemed to convey a lot of love to him, her grandfather's seemed to send him knives. The man was old, and seemed to have trouble walking. His cheeks were shaved very closely, his hair was well-placed back, and despite his age, he was fairly well dressed and obviously took very good care of himself. Raquel took his hand and squeezed it, as if to give herself courage. He answered with pleasure.

"Are you going to introduce me to another stranger again?" 

He said like this, without batting an eyelid. Sergio swallowed again and didn't know where else to stand. Raquel didn't move and continued as if nothing had happened: 

"This is Sergio Marquina, my boyfriend and partner," she said. 

"Good morning Sir, I'm very pleased to-" Sergio started moving towards the man and reaching out a hand. 

"You know what I think about it" he said, pretending Sergio hadn't said anything and lowering his eyes and going back to his newspaper, as if nothing had happened. Sergio was stunned. What the fuck just happened? he thought. 

Raquel went back to his side, took his hand again and led him to the living room to have a private chat with him. They arrived in the room and Raquel took his face in her hands. She wasn't well, her grandfather had been disrespectful and she expected a minimum of politeness, and Sergio really seemed to be confused about what to do. 

"I'm sorry, cariňo, I knew this was going to be a bit difficult, but-"

"You warned me. I'm a bit confused... what should I do now?" Sergio asked as he sat on the couch. She sat down beside him and took his hands. 

"I don't really know mi amor... stay calm and keep in mind what I told you... Try to talk to him, everyone falls under your spell, he won't be insensitive, after all his granddaughter's fallen very hard, hasn't she? 

He smiled at her, and brought her hands to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. She smiled back at him and kissed his lips tenderly. 

Anyway... things were going very badly for Sergio. He was planning to ask his grandfather for his granddaughter's hand in marriage. The first meeting had been disastrous. He knew Marivi would have been happy if he had asked her for her daughter's hand. After all, how many times had she said she wanted grandchildren! Marivi adored Sergio like a son. But apparently, her grandfather wouldn't love him as a grandson...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Sergio meeting her family... her grandfather's reaction... what do you think? 
> 
> Helsinki, Oslo and Marseilla are here!!!! You didn't think I'd forget them, did you? Well, I didn't !! I love them so much, I have to include them in this story one way or another
> 
> Tell me what you think ;)))))


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! 
> 
> Here's a new chapter, as usual. 
> 
> I read all your comments.. and thank you a lot, for the birthday wishes but also for the support. <3
> 
> I hope this chapter will please you, so enjoy ! ;)) 
> 
> See you on Saturday guys ;)

And the whole day went like living hell for Sergio. 

Everyone had helped prepare the evening meal gathering in the enormous kitchen, and Sergio had suffered bloody remarks from Raquel's grandfather. At first he had acted as if he didn't hear them, and didn't pay attention to them, even though sometimes he had been hurt. It must be said that Juan had not been gentle at all. Sergio had understood very well that despite the good meetings with Raquel's whole family, he was not welcome under this roof.. at least for Juan. 

When Sergio and Yashin went out to get wood for the fire, Juan said: "A man from the city, you can't ask him to fetch wood for the fire, he might be afraid of getting dirt on his hands."

Or when Juan had alluded to Sergio's education: "He comes from a big university, works in an office... not a real man to me". 

He hadn't stopped making these kinds of allusions, and everyone pretended they hadn't heard them, even though everyone had indeed heard them very well and was very uncomfortable. The whole family knew Juan and were not so surprised, even though those mean words were quite violent and very rude. And Raquel, in addition to being embarrassed by his behavior, was also hurt by his words. They didn't match Sergio as he was far from that. Raquel had never met a man as sweet as him and he didn't deserve this. If only her grandfather could see beyond his prejudices and see what Sergio really is; the lovely, adorable and caring man of my life, Raquel kept thinking, lamenting the meal of the evening. So Raquel couldn't stop thinking that this meeting for Christmas was maybe a bad idea after all. 

By mid-afternoon the other family members arrived and Sergio was able to meet them. Even though Mari Carmen, Maria and Pablo were very nice, Sergio hadn't liked the way Angel had greeted Raquel at all. A long hug, a kiss too close to the lips, and the way he had to look at her... He knew that this man had deep feelings for Raquel. And Sergio could tell that the way Raquel stood in front of him, Sergio knew that Raquel knew that this Angel had feelings for her. 

Between a grandfather who wants me dead and a brother-in-law in love, what a great Christmas... Sergio thought as he set the table with the three brothers and Marivi. 

Luckily for him, those four were there too. Marivi was adorable with him, as always. That woman would always make him feel comfortable anyway. With her he felt a motherly presence, and Sergio never experienced that kind of love, because that's what Marivi was to him, a kind of mother who would always approve of his actions. He felt so loved in her presence, and to know that Raquel's mother, the most important person for her, loved him that much... Sergio felt comforted in the midst of the chaos caused by the grandfather. And the twins and Lucas had literally adopted him too. They had a lot in common and they appreciated each other deeply, to the point of thinking that Sergio had made new friends... as well as enemies, by the way. 

At one point in the afternoon, the two teenagers had approached him as soon as they heard that Sergio was a professor at the university. They wanted to know about the university, how the classes were going, etc. They wanted to know how to get there and survive in the jungle of studies. Maria wanted to be a photographer and Pablo did not yet know what he wanted to do, but being the youngest, he still had time, he said. But there was nothing to stop him from getting information. So Sergio had advised them and of course he had sold the merits of his university, after all, they had a very good degree and teachers in art and photography. At that moment, he had seen Juan, at the other end of the room, casting murderous glances at him. Maybe he had made a mistake, even if he didn't know what it was, but he didn't care. That man didn't love him, it was useless to try to get on the right side, because even before trying to get to know him, he treated him like that, so what was the point? 

After all that, everyone left to get ready for dinner. Everyone had taken out their best clothes, and Sergio had put on his meeting suit for work. His favorite one. The one which brings him confidence... and he was going to need that tonight. When they had gone to change, Raquel and Sergio didn't exchange many words as the situation was awkward for the woman, changed and get quickly ready. Sergio had turned to her and told her that she looked beautiful by putting a lock of her curly hair for the occasion back behind her ear. She had thanked him, approached him by smoothing his jacket and kissed him gently. Sergio knew she was sorry and didn't know what to do. He just kept her words from the day before in his mind: “You meet them, they'll meet the man I love and if they don't like you... that's their problem. You are going to spend your life with me, not with them." 

The evening arrived, and Sergio really thought the worst was going to come with the meal... it was without knowing that the doorbell was now ringing and that a man in his forties, tall, strong, very handsome, had been invited by Juan. He had come, had greeted everyone because he knew them all, Juan had stood up and welcomed him like a lost son. Raquel had been very embarrassed... terribly. Sergio saw that she sighed loudly, and while she was with Mari Carmen and Lucas talking when this man showed up at the opposite of him, she walked across the room to Sergio, took his hand, and whispered "I'm terribly sorry mi amor". Sergio didn't understand at first but then.. he understood. 

The man then approached Raquel and gently took her in his arms. "Hola Raquel... it's been a long time, I've missed you terribly. You didn't change at all.. as beautiful as ever" She didn't answer his words and gave him awkwardly back his hug.   
Sergio didn't feel especially threatened by Angel, given his girlfriend's reaction and the fact that he was married. But this man, who after having held his girlfriend in his arms for a long time, or at least too long for Sergio, had finally turned to him, reached out his hand too comfortably and said: 

"I'm Mario, Raquel's ex-boyfriend. Her first one actually" 

His presence at this important meal meant only one thing to Sergio: knowing that Juan didn't like him at all, he had deliberately invited Raquel's ex-boyfriend. Clearly, even the dumbest man in the world would have understood. His grandfather didn't approve of their relationship and wanted his granddaughter to return back to Mario's arms. 

He had answered politely, for despite what Juan thought because he was polite, and had introduced himself in his turn. Mario had tried to squeeze his hand too tightly but Sergio had not let him and had hypocritically smiled at him. 

“I invited Mario, he is part of the family” said Juan, leading the way to the table, now that “the missed member had arrived” he had said. 

Sergio felt like a numb in the middle of the living room. He felt so ... stupid. This dinner is going to be fantastic... Sergio thought ironically. After thinking how in deep shit he was, he joined the rest of the family in the dining room. 

Now they were all at the table, sharing the delicious meal they all had prepared during the day. Juan at the head of the table, Marivi facing him on the other side. Raquel next to her mother, Sergio next to her, Lucas and the other 2 twins. In front of Raquel, and thus on the other side of Marivi, this Mario guy, then Mari Carmen, Angel, and the two teenagers. 

Every time Juan spoke, he spoke in their language, Euskera, which everyone understood and which Sergio was the only one who didn't understand. Raquel would translate what they said to him, but Sergio understood that it was a way of making him understand that he didn't belong at that table. He gets rapidly tired of it. He had asked Raquel not to translate anymore, and let them talk. He was annoyed, but what could he do? So, when they spoke in their language, Sergio just looked at his plate, feeling even dumber than before. 

When they spoke in Spanish, the twins and Lucas were mainly making conversation, telling stories about their different travels. Most of the people around the table took part in the conversation, but Raquel was lost in her thoughts, far away from this Christmas, just like Sergio who, despite the fact that he was interested in what the cousins were saying, couldn't help but look at Mario who was making love eyes at Raquel. Was he jealous? Yes. Did he want to jump over the table and strangle him? Oh yes.

He was already overwhelmed by everything that had happened since the beginning of the day, but this new obstacle that Mario represented... Raquel had put her hand on his thigh when she noticed him move it nervously when he looked at Mario who had his eyes glued on Raquel, but that didn't calm him down. He could see that this man was taunting him. Just his sentences like "Do you remember Raquel when we were young...?" or "Do you remember that place where we always go to meet after school?" He had this smile on his face... He looked at Sergio with his eyes... Sergio was practicing all the relaxation techniques that those hours of combat sports taught him throughout his life. 

At one point during the meal, he went to the bathroom, and when he came back, he heard a conversation on his way to the living room which made him even angrier.  
Raquel had gone to look for something in the kitchen, and of course Mario had followed her.

"Raquel, you know I'm here tonight for you, and only you"

"And I don't want a relationship with you. I'm with Sergio, I'm happy and very in love"

"Yet your grandfather told me that you have been alone since Alberto, and I thought that-"

"You thought wrong, he thought wrong. I'm with Sergio and I'm happy. Stop that, ok?"

"I won't give up. Not after all this time. Don't you remember how happy we were?"

"We were 16 Mario joder!"

"And I know I'm the man of your life, even Juan says it. I know you, more than him anyway.. Come on, Raquel, please"

And that's when Sergio chooses to enter the kitchen. Mario had surrounded Raquel against the counter. When he got there, he quickly pulled away and left the kitchen without looking at Sergio, and Sergio saw how relieved Raquel was to see someone come her out of this situation, but her gaze changed quickly when she saw that it was Sergio. She thought the worst and started to panic.

“Sergio! it's not what you think”

He had smiled a little when he saw her distress but quickly reassured her by taking her in his arms. He needed this contact with her after everything that had been going on for a few hours. And he wanted to take her in his arms to remind her that she loved him and always wanted to be with him. As she always said. With everything that was going on right now, even her feelings for him made him doubt it. She was his strength, his reassurance. If it weren't for her, he would have been gone long ago.

"I definitely don't like this guy," he said, stepping aside after a few minutes of hugging.

"Are you jealous?" she asked, playing with the buttons on his shirt.

"Yes. Completely jealous. You are my girlfriend, of course I hate when I hear this kind of declaration coming from a rather handsome man who turns out to be your first”

She laughed and replied:

"He may be my first as you said it, but you are my first and last love" and they had gently kissed before going back into reality of the people that were waiting for the next dishes.

As they managed to share the turkey, for the first time of the evening, Juan spoke directly to Sergio, against all odds since everyone had been surprised. 

"What exactly do you do Sergio?" 

He stopped eating straight away, and was pleasantly surprised. He wiped his mouth with the napkin and answered naively as he thought that he was finally being nice to him by asking questions about his life: 

"I'm the director of finance and strategic development for a big company in Madrid, and I'm also a professor at the University of Madrid"

"Hmm... it's not a very tiring job. Earning your money on the backs of your employees... Mario took over his parents' farm right next door. That's a real job. He earns his money by the sweat of his hard work, not by sitting at a desk all day" 

I knew there was something behind this sudden kindness, Sergio thought, shaking his head. He didn't answer right away and lowered his head. His fists were clenched under the table. 

"I've studied hard and very long to get where I am today. I've worked hard to pay for my studies. It's true I don't know what it's like to do manual work on a farm on an annual basis, like you or Mario," said Sergio, trying to control himself and pointing at the man who was always taunting him across the table, "but I've worked hard and I earn my money honestly."

"Your suit that costs more than an average salary... your watch that would most certainly pay for my entire property and fields... Mommy and Daddy must have been a great help to you to live in the middle of the capital with such a living standard" said Juan looking him straight in the eyes. 

Sergio couldn't take it anymore. It was certainly the one sentence too much. He could take any remark about his work, about his education, about his clothes... it doesn't matter because he knew the truth. But no one talked about his parents. No one had the right to talk about them. Not even an old person who was the grandfather of his girlfriend whom he had just met. 

"My mother died giving birth to me. My father also died trying to pay my hospital bills because I spent my whole childhood trying to survive. My brother raised me. I went through shit while my brother tried to feed me and my sister after we got out of the orphanage. I had to work two jobs outside of school to make a living. The only reason I've got what I've got is thanks to me and my siblings. I won't let anyone insult them and the memory of my parents! With all due respect, which, by the way, you don't have for me, I deserve a little consideration. What have you got against me joder?! What did I do to deserve that??" Sergio demanded as he rose from the table. 

He no longer took into account Raquel's hand on his thigh and her nails stuck in his pant or Marivi's hand on his arm trying to calm him down. They were all silent but seemed to think no less of it. Only Mario seemed to be happy with the situation as he was eating quietly and observing the fight. 

"You see how he talks to me Raquel? That man talks to me with that tone in my house?! You see what you've done?!" exclaimed Juan, addressing Raquel, who didn't flinch and silently asked Sergio not to make the situation worse. 

Sergio looked at her in disbelief. He couldn't understand why she let him talk to her like that. At the beginning of the day, he thought it would pass, and Raquel, like him, thought it was just a matter of time and that he would stop his remarks. And Sergio had really hoped that she would stand up for him especially when he mentioned his dead parents. But now Juan had insulted her. And she didn't say anything. She didn't stand for herself, which shocked Sergio a bit, she was a strong woman, she should stand for herself.

"It's a man like Mario that you need Raquel, a real man from here and not some wimp from Madrid! You've already brought us one, then you've divorced, and you know what I feel about getting a divorce! Your sister who's dating him now and she's not even with us tonight... congratulations Marivi for that education by the way! Have you seen what it's like to raise children in the city?" said Juan, pointing at Marivi, and he turns to Raquel who still wasn't looking at him: "And now you bring us this guy with his expensive clothes and his so nice job, so arrogant... what did my son screw up in your education?!!!" exclaimed Juan, throwing his napkin at the table and looking at Sergio as if he was the only one responsible for this situation. 

Sergio looked at him in disbelief and he was so angry... Even though Lucas tried to calm everyone down, especially his grandfather, Juan continued: "I don't want a stranger like you under my roof, you're not welcome here"

Sergio was almost happy to hear this sentence and held back from going to kiss the old man with joy. He was waiting for the old man to tell him to leave. He pulled his chair back and said: 

"Have a nice Christmas" 

He heard Marivi exclaiming against Juan trying to hold him back, the others said nothing in astonishment at their exchange because after all, Sergio had been the only one who had stood up to their grandfather and Raquel had tried to hold him back but he quickly got away from it. He climbed the stairs as fast as his long legs would let him, quickly threw all his things into his bag, and hurried to the door. As he walked down the stairs, Raquel arrived with tears in her eyes. Seeing her cry tore his heart out, but he was much too upset to deal with her now. 

"Cariňo, por favor, we can try to work things out and-" she said, taking his face in her hands. 

"Raquel, I'm not welcome here and I've understood that from the beginning of the fucking day," he said, taking her hands away from his face. She insisted, trying to take one of his hands. 

"I'll talk to him and you can stay. He must understand that-"

"But talk about what, Raquel? You never stood up for me when he told all these horrors," exclaimed Sergio as he walked to open the door. Raquel didn't know what to say or do to stop him because he was right. Sergio was very angry and seemed determined to leave. She stood in front of the door and looked at him, tears still streaming down her cheeks: 

"Where are you going to go? It's late and on Christmas Eve, you-"

"I'm going home, I said I won't stay here," said Sergio, gently pushing Raquel to open the door. 

"Sergio... cariňo... por favor" she begged as he stood on the doorstep. 

"I can't stay Raquel. I respect you and your family too much. Stay and enjoy your time with them. You haven't seen them in a long time. Sent my love to your cousins and your mom, ok?”

She closed her eyes, letting a few tears fall. She opened them again and Sergio tenderly caressed her cheek, wiping away her tears. She leaned against his palm and withdrew to kiss his hand. He smiled at her and finally turned his back and left. He walked towards the exit of the property on the dirt road, bag on his shoulder, towards the darkness of the night. With a determined step, Sergio walked long strides towards the small town where he hoped to find a hotel for the night. Raquel watched him leave until he was a black spot in the distance. She felt her mother's comforting embrace around her waist, a kiss on her temple, before she closed the door and Raquel threw herself into that familiar embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... 
> 
> Don't kill me yet, I must tell you the worst is yet to come.. I'm already sorry x)


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola :) 
> 
> New chapter !! I am very happy to have received so much reaction to the last chapter, thank you again ! 
> 
> Here's the next part... please don't kill me, what follows will be even better ! 
> 
> Give me your opinions, I can't wait to read them ! 
> 
> I'll post the next chapter on Wednesday, and enjoy ;)

Raquel arrived more than angry in the living room where a deadly silence reigned. She arrived, hand on her hips, her jaw so tight that it hurt. Her mother had tears in her eyes, Angel, his wife and children didn't know what to do even less to say. Lucas, Yashin and Roberto seemed to be in a rush to leave the table too. Mario continued to eat as if nothing had happened and finally her grandfather had returned to his seat and seemed calmer. 

"Are you happy? He's gone now, that's what you wanted," Raquel exclaimed almost shouting. 

Everyone was startled at her sentence, because she was already very angry and it was the first time she had ever addressed her father's father in that way. It was even the first time someone had ever spoken to Juan so angry. 

"Luckily he's gone. That's what I wanted, yes. Now sit down, we have a meal to finish and a Christmas to properly celebrate now that we are together" 

Raquel looked at him with big eyes. How dare he, she thought. She sighed and laughed. This situation was unbelievable. 

"You chased away the man I love out of the house on Christmas. You've treated him like shit all day, you've told him horrible things that hurt him and you'd like me to sit quietly as if nothing had happened?" she demanded. 

"I don't like at all the tone you use with me, young lady," Juan said quietly. 

Raquel was incredulous. She didn't know what to do anymore. 

"I know you've always been against all my decisions, but Sergio is the man of my life, he's a good person, honest, adorable, kind, respects and treats me as the woman I am!" 

Juan didn't answer and asked Pablo to give him the bread. The young man, who didn't know what to do, answered his request. 

"Of course I've been against all your decisions because it seems that you're not capable of making a good one. You had everything you needed here, a job on the farm, a boyfriend, your family too, a good situation, and you decided to go away to study. You married a good man that you divorced and you're still moving to a new city to fall in love with another man. And you come back years later thinking everything is going to be okay?" Juan asked calmly. That calm made Raquel even more upset. She flinched when she heard the words “good man” to describe Alberto. 

"But I didn't want this life!!! When are you going to understand this?" Raquel exclaimed, banging her fist on the table. 

Marivi decided to leave the table, as did Yashin, Lucas and Roberto, who couldn't stand the shoots and cries anymore. Sergio's ignoble treatment throughout the day and his leaving on this supposedly celebrating day had made it necessary for them to leave the table as well. But this discussion between Raquel and the grandfather was too much. Marivi couldn't bear to see her daughter being treated like that and the three brothers adored their cousin and wanted to defend the new arrival in the family. 

"Leave this table if you don't agree, leave all of you!!!" exclaimed Juan pointing at then from his chair as he watched them leave. "You see what you're doing Raquel? If you hadn't brought your boyfriend, none of this would have happened! You've destroyed our Christmas." 

Raquel shook her head in displeasure. He didn't understand anything, she thought. He was the only one responsible for this fiasco. They were all supposed to be together, to have a great Christmas with their family, the first Christmas for her and Sergio, and they were supposed to chat, to sing, to dance at the end of the meal, waiting for the time to exchange gifts and drink the last cup of hot chocolate. But none of this was going to happen because her grandfather had made sure to chase Sergio away by treating him like shit, and also by inviting her ex-boyfriend who was enjoying the whole situation very much. 

"You'll never understand anything" And Raquel left the table in her turn. She heard her grandfather throwing a glass on the floor for sure, and went to her room. 

Raquel was now in her room and was far from relaxed. She was walking around in circles, couldn't stay still. It was only 10 pm. Was it too late to call Sergio and join him or ask him to come back? She didn't even know if she should call him. He was so angry when he left, and she didn't blame him for leaving. Not even close. If someone had talked to her the way Juan talked to him, she would've lost control a long time ago. 

She asked him to stay, and he wouldn't. He had left, without taking the car, bag on his shoulder, and in the night on December 24. 

Oh shit, realized Raquel. He had really gone alone one Christmas night in a city that he did not know! The last time Sergio left suddenly alone at night... She didn't even dare to think about that night when she thought her world was falling apart in front of her eyes. What a monster I am! thought Raquel, putting on a pair of shoes and rushing to the door. She had opened it and came face to face with Roberto who seemed to want to knock. 

"I don't have time, I have to find Sergio," she said as she passed him. 

"Raquelita, that's exactly why I wanted to see you. I received a call from Yash" said Roberto. Raquel stopped immediately and they came back in her room. 

A few moments earlier... 

Stay calm, stay fucking calm... repeated Sergio on loop as he walked great strides down the dirt road while he was leaving Raquel's grandfather's property. He only wore his shirt on his back, but he was so angry that he couldn't even feel the cold penetrate his skin. On the contrary, he was warm and even sweating. He unbuttoned two buttons of the top of his shirt and put his glasses on his head. 

He was more than angry. He was ranting. He was holding back from coming back to this house and saying everything he was thinking about that man. His first Christmas with Raquel was ruined. 

Sergio didn't bring much importance to this time of the year, he hadn't had many opportunities as a child to enjoy it like other children. When he was in the hospital, he just wished to get better. Afterward, at the orphanage, spending Christmas without family in an unknown place, with unknown people... Sergio quickly understood that unfortunately, he had no luck in life. After the orphanage, Christmases with Andres and Silene were much happier, but the lack of money was felt. But they were together as a family. It was then Sergio understood that whatever financial situation he would be in, the important thing was to spend it with the people he loved and loved him back. And tonight, with Raquel's family and above all with Juan, he understood that he was not welcome. He could very well have asked Raquel to go with him, but he couldn't ask that to her. She rarely saw her family, and he could see how much she liked her cousins, spending time with her mother, and even her grandfather. He saw the huge smile she had on her face whenever she was with them. She missed her family. He couldn't ask her to leave with him, it would have been unfair. And then, had she stood up for him? He knew it was complicated for her, but she could have asked her grandfather to calm down, even more so when Juan talked about his parents.

And to think that he wanted to have a serious talk with his grandfather to propose to her! The good joke he thought. How was he going to propose to Raquel after that fiasco?! It was all going to fall apart, and he was going to freak out. Everything he had in mind, all the speeches he had prepared, everything he had planned to say to her grandfather... he had never thought for one second about the possibility that Juan would literally hate him and chased him out of the house.   
Just the thought that Raquel could never be his wife, that her grandfather disapproved of their relationship... He was nauseous on top of it all. He could never give up his relationship with Raquel because Juan didn't want to.   
Now he understood better how Raquel felt when Silene made Raquel understand that she didn't love her. 

Sergio had tears in his eyes at the mere thought of his parents, his mother who gave him life and whom he never got to meet, his father who sacrificed so much so that he could get well... He could see almost nothing on that deserted road lit only by the full moon, now his vision was now blurred by his tears. Great, he thought. He kicked a stone in front of him and doubled his pace intensity. 

Where was he going? Well... he didn't know. He planned to reach the village they had passed yesterday when they arrived, and he'll improvise. He wiped his eyes with his sleeves that he rolled up afterward, put his bag back on his shoulder that had decided to hurt him tonight and accelerated his pace. 

In the distance, he saw the lights of the street lamps in the main square of the town and almost ran up. He was relieved and looked at his watch, it only took him 15 minutes to reach the village. And he remembered when they passed it in car yesterday, it took more than 25 minutes to reach the house. 

Once he arrived in the small alleys, and as expected, there was no one in the streets, people were at home celebrating Christmas with their families. Sergio pinched the bridge of his nose and started to laugh. Here he was, alone in a city he didn't know, without a roof over his head on Christmas Eve. What a shit I'm in now... he laughed nervously. He just wanted to bang his head to get acquainted, and that would really help him right now. 

He decided to sit down on a bench. He simply decided to call Andres. He couldn't concentrate and think about the situation so much that he was angry. 

After a few rings, his brother picked up the phone and Sergio heard the music behind Andres and the joy of the people around him. 

"Mi Hermanito calling to wish me a Merry Christmas! Como esta with the in-laws?” asked Andres, Sergio could hear his happiness from his voice. 

When Sergio didn't answer, Andres sensed that something was wrong. 

"Sergio?" The man with glasses sighed and heard Andres isolating himself from the noise. "Sergio que pasa?" he asked again. 

"Andres... I'm in deep shit," Sergio almost sighed, putting both elbows in his lap, one hand in his hair and keeping the phone close to his ear. He felt like crying, but he held it in, which Andres quickly understood. "His grandfather is an asshole, I would even say a fucking racist, who made me understand from the beginning that I wasn't welcome. All day long he's been throwing horrors at my face, like I'm just a lazy bastard who doesn't deserve to be around his granddaughter, who doesn't earn his money honestly... Afterward, he invited Raquel's ex-boyfriend for dinner and told me that she deserved to be with him. He made nasty and very violent reflections about everything and anything, until he told me that I was just a rich man's son and that my parents certainly paid everything for me and I lost control Andres," Sergio said in one fell swoop. Remembering Juan's words, Sergio felt like crying again. 

"Are you calling me to hide his dead body Sergio?" Sergio laughed a little before answering negatively. 

"So you're not in deep shit. What about Raquel?" Andres asked. Sergio heard Martin behind him asking what was going on. Sergio heard his brother say to Martin "It's Sergio, it didn't go as planned." 

"She didn't defend me. And I don't blame her so much, she was so happy to be with them," sighed Sergio as he ran his hand through his hair again. 

"Oh... ok. We don't care about him, you are going to spend your life with Raquel, not that old man, Sergio. And where are you now? Have you locked yourself in the toilet with the window open or what? Why can't I hear anything but just wind?" Andres demanded. 

"Well, he kicked me out of his house, I walked away with my stuff and now I'm in some village in the middle of nowhere." 

"What the fuck Sergio?!!" cried Martin and Andres who immediately began to panic. 

Sergio began to panic too when he heard his brother and brother-in-law being so alert. It's true he was quite in a dangerous situation. That's why he never wanted to lose control over anything. 

"Okay. Let's take a deep breath and keep calm. We can't come looking for you, and the guys are way too far from where you are. The best thing is to find a hotel where you'll spend the night and you will go back to Madrid tomorrow by train or whatever," said Martin. 

"A hotel on December 24th... Are you ok honey?" Andres asked. 

"We'll find one, even in the ass hole of the world where you are Sergio". 

Sergio laughed at what Martin said, he was one of the few who made him laugh even when he was in that kind of situation. 

His brother-in-law took matters into his own hands and immediately went to check if a hotel was available that evening. In the meantime, he stayed on the phone with Andres who asked him for details about his shitty day. And even if Sergio had told him that his grandfather had ruined everything, he had confided to him that he had gotten along very well with Raquel's three cousins with whom he had longly spoken to. 

Finally, after almost 30 minutes, Martin had found an open hotel 30 minutes by car from where Sergio was. Martin had asked, almost begged, to book a single room and the receptionist had accepted. Even at such a late hour and on this special day.   
Meanwhile, Andres had soothed Sergio by finding the right words. 

"I don't know what I would have done without you. Thank you so much" Sergio thanked and thanked again. 

"Sleeping on a bench probably, freezing to death," Martin laughed. 

"Now you have to figure out how you're going to get there" Andres said, starting to think. 

"Don't worry, I'll manage. You've already done a lot for me, you will just send me the address" said Sergio, getting up from the bench and putting on a jacket. Now that the pressure was   
off, it's true that he was getting cold. 

He had barely heard what Andres and Martin said to him when he heard footsteps coming behind him. 

Oh fuck, that's it, I'm going to die, Sergio thought. And as he began to make Andres and Martin understand that his end had come, he recognised Yashin's deep voice. 

"Hey Sergio! We've been looking for you everywhere," he cried, taking him in his arms. He'd never get used to those bear arms, Sergio thought. "Lucas! He's here" Yashin cried and   
released him. 

And Sergio saw Lucas come closer. He was so relieved to see them.   
Sergio regained consciousness that he was on the phone with his brother when he heard the worried voices of Martin and Andres. He reassured them and both of them on the other end of the phone were relieved too. Sergio was no longer alone and apparently with friendly and trustworthy people. 

"Oh well, that's good! These gentlemen will be able to take you to the hotel then" said Andres. 

"Take you to the hotel? Are you leaving?" Yashin worried. Sergio picked up the phone and spoke to his brother and husband: 

"I'll see it with them. Andres, Martin, thanks again. I'm so glad I've got you in my life... I'm sorry to have bothered you, and merry Christmas to everyone, I love you" said Sergio. 

"We love you hermano, don't forget that, and we'll always be there for you. Try to have a merry Christmas and we'll see you as soon as we get home" said Andres and Martin as they stopped calling. 

Sergio sighed with joy and turned to the two cousins who had their arms folded and were looking at him impatiently. 

"Aren't you going home with us?" Yashin asked. 

"I'm not coming back to your house," Sergio said determined, insisting on “your”. 

"Look, Raquel spoke with Grandpa, and she wasn't very tender, she told him what we all thought about what he said to you. And I-" Sergio cut Lucas off and told him: 

"No. I'm not going back to your place. I don't want to go through all his nastiness again. He made it very clear. My brother and his husband found me a hotel for the night for about 30 minutes from here. I'm going there and I'll go back to Madrid tomorrow." 

"Raquel is worried" said Lucas after a short silence, arms still folded. 

Sergio felt guilty. Now he was worried about her. 

"Listen... I'll call her. But I'm not going back. And I'm not going to ask her to come with me too, she's happy with you and she missed you. You should spend your time together, and me being there with you will be certainly a source of conflict. Is it possible you'll take me to my hotel, please?" Sergio asked, taking his bag from Yashin's hands. 

He was a bit dry in his words, but now he was really cold and tired of all the bullshit. He just wanted to lie down and this day to end. 

The two cousins agreed to take him, because after all, in his place, they would probably have done worse. Sergio felt relieved when they agreed, thanked them and Yashin took the bag from his hands again. The three of them walked to their car which was parked at the other end of the street. 

Back in Raquel's room...

“Yashin and Lucas found Sergio. They asked him to come back, but he'd already checked a room in a hotel. So they took him there, it was far enough. And now they're on their way back," said Roberto, taking his cousin's hand. 

"He's not coming back, is he? Not even tomorrow?" Raquel asked, more to herself. She had thought he might come tomorrow for Christmas Day. 

"They told me he'd go back to Madrid." 

Raquel nodded her head, trying to hold back her tears. She has guessed he wouldn't come back, but didn't want to believe it. She was so sad and angry at herself, at her grandfather, at Yashin and Lucas, and even at Sergio. Against her for not doing something when Sergio suffered all his mean and unfair words, against her grandfather for acting so badly, against Yashin and Lucas for not being able to bring him back, and against Sergio for not wanting to come back the next day.   
Everything was ruined. What was she going to do now? 

She was sitting on her bed, all alone. The minutes went by and her anger mixed with her sadness only got worse. She kept repeating how disappointed she was, how disappointed she was with everyone. Why had her grandfather humiliated him like that? Why didn't she react? Why didn't Sergio make an effort? Of course she had the answers to all this, and that's what made her even angrier. Everything was ruined, and joder... their first Christmas, Sergio wasn't with her, everything was ruined, she thought over and over again.   
And what her grandfather said about Alberto kept getting mixed up in her negative thoughts. Alberto, a good man? Is that how he saw him? And Sergio was the bad one for him? What a mess! She held her head in her hands, trying to keep calm and not tear her hair out.   
She was despondent, discouraged... nothing was right. What would calm her down now? Sergio's comforting arms and sweet, always right words. But he wasn't there. Because of her. 

After a few minutes, or even hours, her phone rang. And Sergio was calling her. Having him on the phone would surely soothe her a little. 

"Sergio... I'm glad to hear from you," said Raquel as she repositioned herself in the bed. 

"Hola Raquel..." she smiled and continued: 

"I was very worried... the last time you left in a hurry... I... well, you know? And you left all alone, in the middle of the night, in a place you're not familiar with... I was very worried about you" Sergio's heart tightened. He confided that he was so angry that he had gone back to the village, and was fine now in his hotel room. Once reassured, he explained: "I wanted to warn you that I'm going back to Madrid tomorrow." 

"I know... But you should come tomorrow morning, try to explain-" he cut her off. 

"Explain what exactly?" She wasn't too happy that he cut her off without giving her time to explain. 

"Talk to him calmly. Explain to him that he's got you all wrong for example" 

"Talk calmly? I don't think that's possible, your grandfather is not the kind of person who you can talk calmly with. I've never been disrespectful to him Raquel. He disrespected me, he disrespected my brother, he disrespected my parents and he disrespected you." 

There was a silence where both of them could hear their breathing; and Raquel knew that Sergio's breathing was quick, a sign that he was still as angry as ever. 

"I just want everything to go well, and to have you with me at Christmas... our first Christmas."

Another silence fell where Raquel had too many hopes. And finally, Sergio answered: 

"Your grandfather is an asshole. He gave me no choice but to chase me away from his house even though he had fucking prejudices about me!" 

"And that's why I want you to come and talk to him tomorrow" said Raquel, discouraged and angry that he didn't understand the situation from her point of view. 

"I won't make the first move. I'm going back to Madrid tomorrow and that's it. And we will see each other soon" he decided. 

"You don't understand Sergio..." lamented Raquel. 

"You're the one who doesn't understand Raquel. I don't want to see your grandfather again. If I come back, I might say things that could hurt and unlike him, I respect you too much, and you know that" 

After another silence where Raquel had really had enough of his behavior, she said: 

"You don't want to come back because of me, right? I haven't stood up for you."

"Well, that's part of it, but I understand why you didn't" 

"No, you don't understand why I didn't say anything; you don't have a grandfather Sergio. You don't know what it's like to be a disappointment to him because you divorced a good man. You don't know what it's like to be a fucking disappointment because you left home while you had everything to be happy. You don't know what it's like to be blamed all the time because you made bad choices. You don't know what it's like to have to tell your family that you were making a radical change in your life at 40. You don't know what it's like Sergio, because you don't have a family. So stop saying you understand me because you don't!!!"

A sharp silence. Nothing to hear except for her hard breathing. After a few very long seconds, he answered in a sad voice: 

"I certainly don't understand you anymore”

And he hung up. 

Raquel looked at her phone, breathing heavy and jerky, eyes wide open. 

What did I do? she kept repeating.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everybody! 
> 
> Thanks again for all your comments on the previous chapter... it's amazing how many people are interested in my story. Even though it's been a while now since I started with this story, I'll never get used to it! 
> 
> Then, sorry for the little delay, I usually post the chapter during the day, but lately, I don't have much time left, and I even have trouble writing... But I do my best ;)
> 
> So here's a new chapter, things are getting better... 
> 
> See you Saturday for a new chapter ;)

Raquel and Sergio hadn't slept that night. 

Raquel kept repeating to herself how much she regretted what she had said to him while remembering the disastrous day and evening. And Sergio hadn't slept because of Juan, Mario, of course, but also because of what Raquel had told him. Even though it hurt him enormously, he couldn't blame her. During that call, he felt how much that evening had stressed her, had broken her morale and then, in a sense she had taken it out on him.   
He remembered all those words vividly: “You don't know what it's like, Sergio, because you don't have a family.” It hurt like hell. But she was right. He didn't know what it was like to deal with “real” family members. He had his brother, his brother-in-law, a woman who considered as his sister but was not blood-related, friends who considered as his family but was not his family. While Raquel had a wonderful mother and a father with whom she had great complicity, a sister with whom she no longer spoke but who still remained her sister, cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces, and grandparents. Sergio didn't have any of those things. He didn't know what it was because all his life it had always been him and Andres. The only one on earth with whom he had a real blood relationship. Because everyone left him.   
That's why he wasn't mad at her after all. 

Some of her words intrigued him: "you don't have a grandfather Sergio. You don't know what it's like to be a disappointment to him because you divorced a good man”. Why did she say that? What could have happened to her when he left to saying shit like that? 

Something was wrong, he was certain of it. But his anger and sadness were still too intense to care. He'd been through too much for one day and one night to deal with it. He just wanted to go home, have a nice glass of wine, try to have a decent night's rest and take care of his friends' wedding. It was about time those two got married after all. They had already postponed the date because of him, so he was going to get the two of them married and in perfect conditions. 

He got ready at 5 am, because after all, he hadn't closed his eyes all night, so he might as well go back to Madrid as soon as possible. He had taken a shower, put on jeans and a sweatshirt and wasted no time going straight to see the available trains. And he did the right thing. There were only two trains on Christmas Day, one leaving very early in the morning, at 8 am from the station in the city where he was; and another in the late afternoon. He booked a ticket and left the room. He went directly to the reception and paid for his bill. He saw that the man at the counter was looking at him strangely: in fact, a man who arrived on the evening of December 24th alone and asked for a room at the last minute... He understood why the man had wished him a merry Christmas with a look of pity. And he left in the direction of the station which was only 20 minutes away. 

He wandered through the streets, looking at the windows with Christmas decorations. No one in the streets. Everyone at home, celebrating with their families. At that thought he laughed: this was definitely not something for him. He will be condemned to be alone.   
He only met a few people, going out to get last-minute provisions.   
He was extremely hungry. After all, he hadn't eaten anything since dinner the night before. And even then, all of Juan's words had ruined his appetite. Now his body was reminding him that he had needs. Finally, he quickly found himself at the station, went to get something to eat and waited with a book. He had only one thing on his mind, to get home as quickly as possible and forget this ever happened. 

Raquel's day was totally different. Certainly she hadn't slept all night and had done nothing but a cry of anger, sadness and tiredness.   
Finally, she got up at dawn, got ready, put on a jogging pant and a big sweater and took refuge in front of the fireplace. She was the only one awake. So she had lit the fire, and drank her coffee, trying to get all her bad thoughts out of her head with her caffeine and watching the crackling flames. 

"Merry Christmas darling" 

She recognized her mother's voice. She turned around, sent her a smile- which Marivi characterized as a sad and forced smile especially seeing her red and swollen eyes, and Marivi sat down beside her. 

"How are you?" 

"Let's just say I've had a better Christmas, much better..." Raquel said as she warmed her hands on her cup as her mother put a comforting hand on her arm. 

"It's gonna be okay." 

"I hope Mama"

A silence fell and Marivi resumed her speech.

"You know, Sergio is the man of your life. He's far from stupid and won't drop everything at the slightest obstacle. That man loves you, honey, don't doubt about it please" 

Raquel turned to her and answered: 

"I talked to him on the phone last night, I told him terrible things. I was fed up with all of it, I just wanted him to come back, to talk about it all, but he said he'd rather leave. I felt like he was giving up and I said-" a tear came out of her eyes, and Marivi came over and Raquel took refuge in the comforting arms of her mother. She whispered soothing words to her, rubbed her back. 

While her daughter was still in her arms, Juan arrived in the living room. Raquel stood up, sent lightning bolts into his eyes and did not greet him. 

"Merry Christmas, ladies" 

Raquel did not answer and Marivi returned the courtesy even though she felt so much anger towards her father-in-law. He sat down on the armchair facing them. Marivi felt it was time for her to let the grandfather and granddaughter explain themselves and left, kissing her daughter on the forehead.   
Neither of them started the conversation, probably because of their pride... until Juan gave in and spoke: 

"Listen Raquel... maybe I went a little too far with your boyfriend last night"

"Maybe? Too far?" Raquel wondered. At least he admitted it. Juan looked at her and nodded, he had indeed gone too far. 

"Raquel... it's hard for me to-" 

"I left home at 18 to go to college because I wanted to become a psychologist. I became a very talented one, I've got my own office, my patients love me... why aren't you proud of me?" Raquel went straight to the point and wanted answers to her questions. 

"I'm proud of you. Just like I'm proud of all your cousins and also your sister. I just wish I had you around and not just seeing you for a couple of days every now and then at Christmas. You were destined to take your father's place on the farm because I knew you could do it, because you're the best. You're determined, you're strong, you're smart... You had a boyfriend who loved you, our whole family's here. I didn't understand your choice to leave. You came back a long time later. You married that man we only saw once, but I made an effort and accepted him. Years later, without much news, I find out you got divorced and moved to another town, again, without coming back. And you come back with a new man... It's complicated for me to understand that. You had everything you needed to thrive here."

"But it wasn't what I wanted," she said at the end of his sentence. He looked at her and sighed, she was right. 

"But it wasn't what you wanted," he admitted. 

There was a silence as Juan looked at the fire and Raquel drank her cup. 

"I never told you why I divorced Alberto," said Raquel, continuing to play with her coffee. He turned around and nodded negatively, waiting for her to answer. His words about Alberto last night were so stuck in her head, she had to clear things with him. 

"He hit me. For a long time. I don't know how it started. But all of a sudden, I wasn't allowed to leave the house without him. I wasn't allowed to dress the way I wanted. I wasn't allowed to wear makeup. I wasn't allowed to talk to another man. I wasn't allowed to see my friends. Otherwise... Well, otherwise I'd get yelled at, punched, slapped, kicked... I ended up in the hospital several times. I almost filed a complaint, but he works with the police. It was very complicated to want to do something. I don't really remember all the series of physical violence because they're just bruises, and they fade over time. But the words, the emotional abuse of him, of telling yourself that you're not safe at home with the one who promised to love you... that's the worst. Because, of course, there was also the fact that it was my fault. Because for him, he was the victim. If I were the good housewife who did everything he asked, everything would be fine, and so it was my fault. Finally, the day he put a knife to my throat because I hadn't prepared any food because I was too tired when I came back from work, that's when I knew I had to do something. And I asked for a divorce. So you see, the good man I divorced, based on what you said last night, well, he was a bastard who just deserves to die now. The worst part is, obviously nobody believed me, but also now he's in a relationship with Laura." 

Raquel had taken out her tirade without ever looking at her grandfather and kept spinning her cup. Once finished, she looked up and saw him rubbing his eyes. He looked at her and did not know what to say. 

"That's why I left Barcelona. Monica, a friend from college, asked me to come and work with her when she found out what was happening to me. I accepted. So I moved to Madrid. I worked with her in a big office... things are going very well for us. And Monica introduced me to her group of friends... really great people, loving, and so much fun. I needed that after Alberto. They're amazing. Sergio is one of them. He's an extraordinary man and incredibly smart. He's had some shit happen to him in life. He was born sick, his mother dies giving birth to him, he ends up in an orphanage with his brother after his father dies at work, his brother gets him out of this hell and they have to work very hard just to pay for a place to live and food. And despite all this, he has become the director of a big company and does such a complicated job, and as if that wasn't enough, he teaches for free at college! This man, charming, adorable, who knows the true value of things as you taught us, made me discover what true love is. From the very beginning, he reassured me, and above all, he believed me. He treats me so well, and I had, and still, need this. I need him. He's so respectful to me. He adores me actually. And he'll never hit me, or talk badly to me, because he loves me. He's very shy and never opens up to others. And yet, as soon as we met, we knew. I knew as soon as I saw him in that bar. And he knew as soon as he saw me. I fell in love at first sight. Even though I think it's a dumb thing to say, he's my prince charming. I found him, Grandpa. Because he's perfect. Perfect for me. And I'm so disappointed and angry and pissed off that your prejudices have overridden your sanity. I'm so disappointed that he's not here to show you how right I am. And mostly I'm angry at myself for not saying anything when you said that... it's complicated to have to go against you, you know? You helped us so much when dad left... you gave us so much... you taught us so many values, and I have so much respect for you, that I couldn't stand up for him, when you actually never had respect for him. " 

Raquel was crying and her grandfather, even though he tried to hide it, was crying too. He blamed himself. Seeing Raquel in that state as she was telling him all this, her story with Alberto, the distress she went through, all alone, and her meeting with Sergio and what he meant to her... Now he didn't know what to do because it was his fault. If she was in that state, it was his fault. 

"I... I don't know what to say, Raquel... except that I'm sorry." 

She looked at him and indeed, he seemed sincere and overwhelmed by everything she just said.

"I... feel like such an... asshole," he said as he stood up and waved to Raquel to get up. She obeyed and he took her in his arms. 

"I owe your Sergio an apology, don't I?" 

She withdrew from his arms and nodded. It was already the first step that delighted Raquel. 

Following this beginning of reconciliation, the people of the house began to wake up and Christmas could finally be celebrated a little more normally. Or at least the tension of the day before had disappeared a little. Raquel had taken her cousins and her mother aside and explained to them what she had to do to make Juan finally open his eyes. They were happy that if they had reconciled and were able to put on a smile on that special day, but finally, they couldn't help but notice that miles away, half of Raquel was alone for Christmas. They had returned to their seats at the table, except this time Mario and Sergio weren't there. They mainly remembered their childhood memories, their carefree and innocent years. And Raquel was able to take a breather, not thinking about everything that was happening outside the table. She was enjoying her family, and for that day, that's what mattered. 

In the middle of the afternoon, Raquel had sent a message to her friends on their message group, wishing them a Merry Christmas, and everyone had responded by wishing her a Merry Christmas to... both Sergio and Raquel, and her family... which made her heartache. Everybody had answered? No. Sergio, Andres and Martin didn't reply. Sergio hadn't even been online since they talked on the phone the night before. Andres and Martin had sent a message to everyone a long time later: "Merry Christmas everyone", but they hadn't spoken afterward. 

Raquel had sent a message to Sergio, not risking to call him and fall directly on his voicemail: 

“I wish you a Merry Christmas Sergio, see you tomorrow?”

He didn't answer. She had waited a long time for his answer all day long, but finally, as she was preparing her bag for her scheduled departure the next day, she was in a lamentable, sad and almost depressed state and wondered how they would meet the next day. She was apprehending her return... Just before getting ready for bed, she had received a message from him.

All she had received was a "Merry Christmas Raquel."

She didn't know if she should be happy that she at least got a reply, or if she should be sad about the lack of discussion. He didn't tell her that they would see each other the next day, he didn't ask about her... So it was with a heavy heart that she went to bed, wondering what would happen the next day.

Goodbyes were hard enough for Raquel. She wouldn't see her cousins again for a while, and tears fell. The only satisfaction was that her mother would accompany her on the way back, as she was of course invited to Daniel and Monica's wedding which would take place in a few days now. And this is what the two Murillo women talked about all the way home. Marivi had seen that her daughter was already not well with her quarrel with Sergio, and goodbyes are always difficult, she had to think of something else. And it was mission accomplished for the oldest of the Murillo since Raquel only talked about the wedding and what remained to be done. 

Raquel and Marivi had finally arrived at the blonde's apartment. And it was strange for her to be here for two simple reasons: she had been spending all her time at Sergio's lately, and the last time she was at her home was with Sergio. And above all, they had planned to live together at his home after the wedding... Raquel wasn't sure of anything anymore. Did any of this still matter to him? Would he resent what she said so much that he wanted to break it off with her? She was lost. 

They'd packed up their things, and now Marivi was making coffee. Raquel was sitting at the table, looking at her, lost in thought. One hand on her chin, the other tapping her fingernails on her phone screen. 

"What are you still doing here?" Marivi simply asked as she continued to make coffee. 

"What do you mean?" Raquel asked, jumping up when she didn't hear her. 

"Why aren't you with him?" 

"Are you kicking me out of my home?" Raquel asked, laughing. 

"Yes, and you know it's for your own good," said Marivi, looking at her tenderly. 

Raquel smiled and nodded. It's true, what was she waiting for? She might as well go and see him now to explain herself and get things back to normal as soon as possible. Or at least to know what was going to be like for us. She quickly took her car keys and went straight to Sergio's apartment. It was a quick trip and she arrived in the building she knew very well. Arriving at the door, she ran into a problem. Should she knock on the door or use her key? She finally decided to knock and waited. 

And she waited. 

A lot. 

Either he didn't want to open the door, or no one was there. Exasperated by this childish situation, she decided to use her key. She opened the door and found herself in the dark. Indeed, he wasn't there. She went around, and once again, everything was tidy, except for his guitar, which was on the couch. She took it and put it back in his room. She went the other way around, found herself in the middle of the living room and walked around. What should she do now? Wait for him? She blew away and sat on the sofa while she made a decision. 

No sooner had she sat down than her cell phone rang. Hoping it was Sergio, she hurried to find it in her bag, but it was Monica. She was still happy, glad to see her friend calling her. 

"Raquel, how are you? Are you at home?" 

"Yeah, Monica, I'm fine, how are you? I've only been home for an hour"

"Ohh... you have a little voice. I'm fine, thanks... but tell me about it. Could it have something to do with the fact I saw Sergio yesterday but not you?" 

"Uh... well, what did he tell you?" asked Raquel a little worried. 

"That his meeting with your grandfather didn't go well and that he preferred to come home early. But I have a feeling that's not all, right? He looked pretty tired and miserable."

"It's quite complicated..."

"Come home then. We're waiting for you. I mean, everyone's here. Well not everyone, Sergio just left with Alicia to get Agata, and Andres and Martin are already at their Toledo's house, but there's Dan, Silene, and Ani. I'll make you some coffee" she said, laughing a little. Raquel agreed. 

Raquel hung up and went with a lighter heart to Monica's house. Even though Raquel got a twinge in her heart when she heard Sergio was gone... but he was coming back. And he wasn't alone, the girls kept him company. 

"Raquel, come in!" the blonde heard as she knocked on her friends' door. 

She went inside and dropped off her things and then went to where her friends were. Monica practically jumped into her arms as soon as she entered, and then she went to greet her   
friend's future husband, Silene and Anibal. They all had big smiles on their faces, which contrasted well with her mood.

"Well darling, why are you making that face?" Monica asked as she handed her a cup of coffee. Raquel sat between Daniel and Silene. 

"Let's say Christmas didn't go so well... but before all that, did you have a good holiday?" asked Raquel, and they all told each other about their Christmas. 

Daniel and Monica had spent the evening with her mother and his father, and had pretty much settled most of what was left for the wedding. So that now there were the last fittings of the dresses and costumes, the setting up of the decoration and the tables for the meal etc. Everything was almost ready, the appointment at the town hall, and with the hairdressers and make-up artists were booked, the music was ready... and Raquel could see how much her friend was in a hurry to get married. 

Silene and Anibal had also had a great time in the young man's family, and Silene confessed that she was really close to his sister and father, his mother still had difficulty accepting their relationship, thinking that her son deserved better and was wasting her time with someone who didn't want to get more involved into a relationship. But Raquel thought that Silene was brave to insist with her mother-in-law and force things... something Sergio hadn't done, and it hurt Raquel more at that thought. 

"If the Professor arrived yesterday without you, did it go that badly?" Daniel asked. 

"My grandfather was horrible to him. I'm not going to say what he said, but after a while Sergio went crazy, which I completely understand, and my grandfather kicked him out of our house. He left on the 24th in the middle of the night, got a hotel room and left for Madrid the next day." 

A silence settled in which the four friends understood how badly Sergio's Christmas had gone. 

"Well, no wonder he was miserable all day yesterday and this morning," said Anibal. 

"Did he say anything to you?" Raquel asked Silene. The brunette didn't seem to understand Raquel's sentence. 

"Well, not even more what you told us. Just that he was sad and angry about the situation and that he preferred to leave" 

"So you stayed there then?" Monica asked.

"I spent Christmas with my family, yes. Sergio didn't want me to come with him anyway, he said he'd rather prefer I stayed with my family, spend time with them. But I explained to my grandfather, he must have called him by now to apologize."

"Ok... well, let's leave behind these negative thoughts, since I'm getting married in three days!!!" Monica exclaimed, kissing a surprised Daniel as he was eating chips. That made everyone laugh. 

"What are the plans now?" asked Raquel who had found a smile thanks to Monica. She was going to take her role as bridesmaid very much to heart. 

"The plans are as follows: Sergio and Alicia went to pick up Agata at her family's house in Andalusia, she didn't have an available train. Normally, they should be back during the night. Tomorrow we're all going to Toledo, to meet Andres and Martin. We'll prepare everything, the room, the decorations, the rooms for the guests etc etc. The day before the wedding, we finish the preparations, and of course, we also do our bachelorette party" Silene had a knowing smile on her lips to Monica and Raquel as soon as she said this sentence, “groom's party too” and alerting Daniel and Anibal of what they had planned and that it shouldn't get out of hand, “and then... it will be the wedding day" she said with a big dreamy smile on her lips. 

All three were happy that Daniel and Monica were finally getting married. And the conversations sailed again. This time Monica was warning Anibal and Daniel about what they had planned for the groom's party, leaving Silene and Raquel side by side on the couch. 

The brunette moved closer to her sister-in-law and almost whispered to her so as not to alarm the others. 

"I haven't been honest with you." 

Raquel looked at her strangely, expecting the worst. 

"Sergio explained to me what happened. Everything." 

Raquel looked at her suspiciously, really expecting the worst now. 

"Don't worry, I know you're the woman of his life now, I get it. I won't hit you so I won't ruin your pretty face. I don't blame you. As I just told you, I'm going through much the same experience and, to be honest, I practically hit Ani's mother on our first encounter." Raquel looked at her with big eyes, kind of impressed.

"Sergio is very sad. I think he needed to be reassured, with your grandfather not liking him and not approving your relationship, your first boyfriend barging in, your brother-in-law in love with you-"

"In love? Angel? What the fuck are you talking about?" Raquel leaped angrily into her chair.

"Sergio told me that he seemed to like you very much. But anyway, Christmas was never a happy time in our lives, as you can imagine. And I think he was looking forward to it... for reasons I don't know by the way. And your argument on the phone certainly didn't help," Silene said with an accusing look. 

"You can't imagine how much I blame myself for that..." says Raquel embarrassed and starting to have tears in her eyes. 

"Raquel... it's true it wasn't, well let's say... smart of you, if I may. But, I told you, I understand you. It's a lot to live through, and I imagine if I were you... well, it couldn't have been easy, and we don't know how to do it, and we're freaking out, our word goes beyond our way of thinking, I'm in the best position to say that," she said, remembering that the last time she had gone crazy, her brother's life hadn't meant anything and remembering Raquel's talk too the day Silene had apologized to her. 

“Did he say something about me? I mean, other than that fight," she asked with a little hope in her voice. 

"Well, other than the fact that he was disappointed, that he had high hopes for all of this..." 

"Okay, I see," Raquel said as she moved back into the couch. Silene was embarrassed, Raquel's reaction upset her, but she couldn't lie to her. 

At the same time, towards Malaga...

Alicia was singing her heart out, the windows open even though it was a bit cold. She was extremely happy to meet Agata again in a few hours and couldn't hide her contentment. She was accompanied by Sergio, who had agreed to go on the road with her. Moreover, as he was driving, he was concentrated on the road, didn't want to sing into the fake microphone that Alicia made with her hands, and hardly spoke, only when Alicia asked him questions.   
The tall redhead, who was against any bad mood during the holidays, was getting tired of his habit. For Alicia, Christmas was a time of the year that had to be lived to the fullest, even more so when one had escaped death like Sergio, when he had a perfect girlfriend, great friends, when their friends were getting married and were in fact going to get Agata right now. Alicia knew that Sergio had gone through some tough times in his life, but she had lost the love of her life in a car accident, and Sergio had survived all of that, he was supposed to enjoy his life now. 

That's why, after a while, she turned off the music, closed the window and turned and sighed towards Sergio. 

"Well, Profe, we'll spend another four hours together on this road, you'll have to be a little more cheerful or one of us is going to die, and I'll give you a clue, it won't be me" 

He turned to her and looked at the road again with a sigh. 

"What's the matter with you? I'm not blind, I can see you're sad... and then it seems that the glue that bound you and Raquel together since the beginning of your relationship is gone... Where is she?" 

When she saw that he nervously moved his knee and his hand, she understood. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" 

"You're one of Raquel's best friends, didn't she tell you?" 

"And he's finally talking!" laughed Alicia and made Sergio smile a little at her behavior. She continued: "She actually told me that her grandfather was obnoxious to you, and that you left. Or at least that he kicked you out on Christmas Eve" 

Sergio nodded his head, always looking at the road. 

"It's because of her grandfather? Fuck him and you know it"

"You don't understand." 

"Hum.. maybe I don't understand because you don't want to explain," she said, getting angry at his lack of response. 

Sergio sighed and took a deep breath. 

"I met her family Alicia, her family joder! I expected a lot from this meeting, and I found myself like a jerk on Christmas Eve alone in a hotel room. Her grandfather saying shitty things to me, her brother-in-law looking at her like a sexual predator, her ex-boyfriend coming in and giving her a declaration of love, the fact that she hasn't stood up for me once, or at least tell him to calm down, and those things she said to me on the phone..." 

Alicia saw that her friend was upset and was holding back from hitting something. 

“Ok, let's proceed step by step here” Alicia readjusted herself on her seat. “So.. her grandfather? You know she isn't responsible for him and you know she yelled at him after that. She told me, and she told you. She also told me that he was supposed to call you to sort it all out, to apologize. Did you get anything?" she asked.

Sergio blushed and Alicia reprimanded him. 

"What did you do Sergio? Hell... You can't hide anything from me, so tell me" 

"I've been turning my phone off for a long time now..." 

Alicia looked at him in disbelief, and then shook her head in discouragement.

"Well, you should turn on your phone now.” She stopped and said: “I guess it couldn't have been easy for her to go up against her grandfather... Then her brother-in-law, you say. What happened?"

"His name is Angel. He was making love eyes at her all through the meal, and in front of his wife!" 

"Well.. Raquel has nothing to do with it" said Alicia, she didn't understand why he was acting this way. 

"Yes, I know, but seeing him like that, while Juan was saying horrible things to me... it made me angry. And even more so when her ex kept reminding her of all their sweet moments as lovers, and especially when he asked her to leave me to go with him!" 

Sergio was clutching the wheel so tightly that his fingers turned white. Alicia thought he was going to break his jaw as he clenched so hard his teeth. 

"What did Raquel do?" Alicia simply asked. 

"She wouldn't respond to Angel's gaze, of course. For Mario, she pushed him away."

"Then the problem is you're just jealous, that's all." concluded Alicia. 

"Of course I'm jealous! Those two are chasing my wife and you think I'm going to be left out in the cold?" he said almost screaming. 

"Your wife?" she said curiously, she automatically thought she had found the sensitive point of all this. Sergio blushed and turned towards her, keeping an eye on the road. 

"I wanted to ask her family that night... to ask their permission... you know.. for Raquel's hand..." he said embarrassed and ashamed. 

And Alicia understood how Sergio had been affected by this. He wanted to marry Raquel. And the fact that her grandfather didn't approve of their relationship now made him, doubt?, and most of all, sad. 

"It's the first time I've met a girlfriend's in-laws... and you know there haven't been many of them... well, Raquel was the only one worth it" he said, blushing and pushing his glasses back on his nose, "and I know it's not her fault, those guys in love with her, her grandfather who doesn't love me... it's not her fault, I get it. After all that, I called her at night, and she kept insisting that I should come back the next day, but I was so angry... Finally, she got mad too and told me I'd never understood what she's going through simply because I don't have a family" 

Alicia looked at him in disbelief, but this time not at his lack of response, but at how these two were so in love with each other that they were hurting each other so much. She immediately thought of her friend in Madrid who was probably lamenting and feeling bad about the situation, maybe wondering about the future of their relationship. And she also thought of her other friend in front of her, who has been in a very bad mood, and understood why he had acted like that as soon as they met again yesterday. 

"Well... I understand you better now." 

He looked at her, trying to thank her with his eyes, but was soon replaced by his sad look and with a slight veil of tears in front of his eyes. She bent down, offered him a kiss on the cheek and put a comforting hand on his arm. 

"What are you going to do about it? 'Cause I guess you haven't talked to Raquel since?" 

Sergio nodded his head, a little ashamed. 

"You're not going to break up with her, aren't you??" cried Alicia started to freak out over that idea. 

"No! What's wrong with you? I'm not going to do that!" Sergio cried out in turn. Alicia sighed with joy and Sergio said: "But I don't know what to do. She really hurts me with those words, even though I hope she didn't mean it." 

"Of course she didn't mean it! She was probably angry and tired... She didn't mean it Sergio, I'm sure she didn't." 

He thanked her and Alicia insisted: 

"She didn't mean it, Sergio. You have a family, okay? A dumb brother, a stupid brother-in-law, a tornado of a sister, and many brothers and sisters who don't look much like you and besides, some of them are getting married, and some of them are sleeping together, and most of all, you will have a beautiful girlfriend who will soon become your wife" she said, clasping her hand on his arm. He laughed and was touched by her words. "We are a family Sergio, a little dysfunctional family, with a bit of drama every now and then, but we are a family," she said, very sure of herself. 

Sergio kept thinking about how lucky he was to have a family like them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think? What do you think of the conversation between Raquel and Juan? What do you think's gonna happen next? 
> 
> Fun Fact: I hate Alicia in the show but I love Alicia in the stories ;) 
> 
> Big thank you Luisa for your support <3.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour :) 
> 
> Here a new chapter again! I'm very very happy about your reactions, I truly appreciate kudos and comments! 
> 
> I hope you will enjoy this one as much as the others.. 
> 
> See you on Wednesday ;)))

At the end of the day, when Raquel had just returned home and was packed with her mother to leave for Toledo the next day, she received a message. She hoped for a few seconds that it was Sergio, but quickly remembered that he still wasn't speaking to her.   
It was a message from Alicia on the conversation group with her friends: 

Alicia: We're staying at Agata's parents' house to sleep tonight, we're exhausted. We'll go back to Madrid tomorrow to pick up our stuff and then join you in Toto, we'll keep you informed ;) 

Her other friends quickly responded favorably and wished each other a good night. She wanted to respond too, but for saying what? “Goodnight, and see you tomorrow?” Sergio didn't want to talk to her, and she felt so miserable right now. She felt as if he made her pay for what she told him, and she didn't like it. He had every rights to do so, but Raquel would have liked a sign from him. She felt responsible for all of this, even though in a sense, she was... She wanted to call him to have a discussion, but finally figured out this was a kind of discussion they should have face-to-face. They were going to have a discussion the next day when he would be back, and she couldn't wait for that. It was time for them to explain and then to be together, again. 

Finally, Raquel and Marivi finished packing their suitcases, and it was with a heavy heart, once again, that Raquel went to bed... well, almost since she found it hard to close her eyes at night. 

The next morning came quickly, and unfortunately, Raquel didn't really want to get up. Of course she was happy for her best friend who was getting married in now 2 days, but she couldn't stop thinking about Sergio and that he still wasn't answering her messages. 

It was now almost 9am, and Monica kept bombarded her with calls to find out what time Marivi and Raquel would pick her up. It was planned that the Murillo women would take Monica, and Daniel would go on the road with Anibal and Silene. So the bride-to-be, who had been ready since very early in the morning, kept asking Raquel when they would arrive. 

"Raquel, smile a little more, you too will marry your Sergio one day, and I bet you'll be happier than Monica" said her mother as she helped her put the suitcases in the trunk. 

If only, Raquel had thought when she closed the trunk behind her mother. 

They quickly arrived in front of Monica's house, who was waiting for her with her suitcases impatiently on the sidewalk. She couldn't hold still, and as soon as she saw Raquel's car coming down the street, Monica started waving and dancing.   
Despite her bad mood, Raquel could not help but laugh at her friend's behavior. She was happy, and was finally getting married to the man of her life. Raquel got out of the car to give her friend a big hug. She had to stay strong for her, she couldn't be sad right now, not after everything Monica gave her. 

"RAQUEL!!!! I'M GETTING MARRIED" cried Monica as she went to get her suitcases and put them in the trunk. 

"I know Monica, I'm going to be there," said Raquel laughing. 

Marivi left her place with the blonde in the front and went to the back, to make herself even more comfortable. 

"Mama Marivi... I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!!" The older one laughed and said: 

"I know honey, I'm not deaf... yet" they laughed and Raquel left for Toledo, where Andres and Martin had already started preparations for the wedding. 

On the road to Toledo, Raquel kept a watchful eye on the road while continuing to follow what Monica was saying. Since their departure, she hadn't stopped talking, without any interruption, and above all, to Marivi's amazement, without taking a sip of water. She kept explaining what remained to be done at Toledo, and besides, apparently, the two men had made a lot of progress. She kept explaining how her marriage was going to go, and how happy she was to marry Daniel. so that the hour's drive from Madrid to Toledo passed very quickly. 

Raquel parked in the large gravel parking lot of Andres and Martin's imposing house. They were the first to arrive. They got out of the car and were greeted by the two men. Monica slammed the door and walked out, turned to Andres and Martin, shouting with her arms in the air: 

"GUYS !!!! I'M GETTING MARRIED" 

The two laughed. Monica went to hug them. Raquel was a little embarrassed to be in front of them, after the Christmas episode, but they didn't let anything go and greeted her as nothing had happened. She found it strange, because she knew that Andres and Martin helped Sergio on that night, she expected some glances or a few words, but they didn't let anything appear. They also greeted Marivi and took all the suitcases from the trunk. Discussions started, asking how the trip had gone, how Monica was holding up her enthusiasm...

Martin had personally taken care of Marivi, showing her room and treating her like a queen:

"Marivi, we have prepared the most beautiful room just for you..."

"Martin, stop flirting with me, your husband is watching us" she replied with a laugh. Martin stretched out his arm which she gladly took, and they headed for Raquel's mother's bedroom under the eyes of the other three who were laughing.

"Your rooms are waiting for you up there, as usual," said Andres as he packed the girls' suitcases. "I got a message from Silene, they should be here soon" he said by leading the way. 

Once installed, Raquel went down to the living room where everyone was waiting for her. Then they left for the room that would serve as the reception hall and greeted the 75 guests for the wedding. They crossed the large garden to get there, and Andres and Martin opened both doors wide to let Monica go first. They were dazzled, there was still work to be done, but the decoration of the room was taking shape, and Raquel saw Monica with tears in her eyes. The room was large, and there were many round tables spread all over the room. At the entrance, there was a large space that would surely serve as a dance floor, and in front of it, a place to play music. The tables and chairs were perfectly placed. The walls were made of exposed stone, which made the atmosphere very warm and rustic. Light spots were placed everywhere, and the decoration in white, dark red and grey tones took shape... it was really beautiful. 

Monica walked around the room in silence and turned to the two men, amazed, very delighted and ready to cry. 

"My God... it's beautiful!" she said as she walked towards the two men and took them in her arms once again.

"Well, there's still the decoration of tables, chairs, on your bride and groom's table, and everything else you can imagine, but yes, it's starting to take shape," said Andres as he guided the three women around the room. 

Martin had once again offered his arm to Marivi, who kindly accepted. Raquel forgot her problems and enjoyed the afternoon for Monica. 

After going around the room, the two men led them to the garage where the dresses and suits were and all the remaining decoration was to be placed. Of course, the wedding dress was well hidden. Finally, the three women were settled in the living room, on the large table, and started to fold the napkins, make the decorations that Monica wanted to be homemade, and Andres and Martin shuttled back and forth between the living room and the hall to place everything as they went along. The discussion revolved around the wedding. Soon after settling in, Daniel, Silene and Anibal arrived and quickly joined them. Daniel stayed with the women, Silene helped Andres and Martin and Anibal took care of the music and lights. The discussions were very cheerful, so much so that Raquel thought almost no more about Sergio. She had decided to devote herself to her friend's wedding, and that was what mattered... for the moment. 

Several times, she saw Andres, Silene and Martin whispering to each other, and Raquel thought she was hallucinating, but she swore that they looked at her out of the corner of their eye each time. Just as the phone of the others around the table kept ringing, making Raquel questioned. It seemed that sometimes – but not all the time, one of them always had the nose on their phone. But not Raquel. She didn't have a single text. Maybe it was due to tiredness, or her personal problems, but Raquel was starting to have doubts. She put her worries aside, once again, and preferred to concentrate on the smooth running of their afternoon task. 

Marivi got up and offered to get coffee for everyone and Silene and Martin hurried to help her. It seemed that the people in the group liked Raquel's mother very much, and it was reciprocal. Raquel especially appreciated the fact that her mother got along well with her friends. The age difference could have been a problem, but everyone had gladly adopted Marivi. Even though Martin appreciated her a little too much, Raquel thought, laughing.   
Monica and Daniel stayed with each other, exchanging kisses, and enjoyed their last moments as girlfriend and boyfriend. 

The handmade decorations followed each other, so that by late afternoon the room was finished. Tablecloths, decorations on the tables, on the chairs and on the walls, decorations for the whole room, the placement of the guests... it was all finished. Anibal had also finished the technical part of the wedding a long time ago. They were now in the middle of the room, hands on their hips, congratulating each other. All that remained was the food to prepare, which Agustin would take care of with the help of a few close friends, the next evening and the wedding day. 

"Well... now what do we do?" Silene asked, running her fingers across the thin tablecloth at the bride and groom's table. 

"The fittings of the wedding clothes!!!" exclaimed Monica, still very moved by the progress of the preparations. 

"Well, it'll be done without me," Andres said, looking at his phone. 

"What's going on cariňo?" asked Martin as he approached his husband. 

"There's a problem with the company, I have to go back to Madrid," he simply said. 

"Are you going to leave?" Daniel asked as he approached. 

"Yes, I won't be long, I'll be back tomorrow. I won't miss your bachelor party, I'll be back long before actually," he said, reassuring Daniel. 

Silene exclaimed loudly behind them, which made everyone turn to her. Raquel saw Silene who was... disappointed? Thought Raquel. But it seemed that she was faking it, she was pretending to be disappointed. Or she was exaggerating.. but Raquel felt that this wasn't a normal reaction. 

"It's gonna be okay Silene, I'll be back early tomorrow afternoon at the latest" 

"Yeah, but... It's annoying," she said, holding back from laughing. Raquel didn't understand anything, and turned to her other friends, who seemed almost amused by the situation. 

"So, shall we do it tomorrow then?" Monica asked. 

"I think it's for the best, especially since we still haven't heard from Professor, Agata and Alicia," said Anibal, very confident in his words.

As soon as he said these words, they heard a horn outside. As all her friends and her mother rushed to see who had arrived, Raquel prayed that it would be the girls accompanied by Sergio. Even though their meeting was sure to be awkward and she probably wouldn't know what to do between apologizing first or asking for an explanation, it had to be him. She couldn't stand still, she had to see him because she missed him too much now. And not hearing from him was certainly the worst. Was he angry? Disappointed? Did he want to explain himself? Was he going to forgive her? Raquel couldn't stay like that anymore. 

No sooner had she arrived outside than she heard the cries of joy from Silene who had jumped into the arms of Agata and Alicia. Raquel looked once, twice, three times... Sergio wasn't here. His imposing size overlooked no one in the courtyard as he wasn't here. 

Everyone welcomed each other, kissed each other, hugged each other, and no one worried that Sergio wasn't there. Not even Andres and Silene! No one asked questions about his missing. Her mother was now in Alicia's arms as she touched her long red hair, asking how was she, and Agata jumped from arm to arm, telling how her Christmas had gone. 

Raquel came closer and Alicia jumped up to her in turn. She welcomed her friend, and they hugged warmly, and Agata took her in her arms in turn. 

"Oh my God, Raquel, how are you doing???? I feel like we haven't seen each other for ages!" Agata said, touching her hair. 

"Yes, I'm fine, but isn't Sergio here?" Raquel asked worriedly. 

"We finally meet again and you care about your Sergio..." Alicia said, laughing. 

Raquel felt like she was the only one worried that he wasn't here. And that made her a little angry. Hands on her hips, she was waiting for an answer. 

"Well, when we arrived in Madrid... he dropped us off to... you know, pick up our stuff and... he was supposed to pick us up afterward you know?... but he called us saying he had... he had... a problem with... his company!" said Agata with a smile. It was as if she was looking for her words, didn't know what to say, and in the end she was happy with what she had said, very proud of herself. 

"A problem with his company?" asked Daniel with big eyes, as if to alert her. 

"Yes, that's right, a problem with his company," Alicia repeated, arms folded, happy with Agata's answer. 

"Andres has a problem with his company too," said Anibal, making big eyes in turn. 

The two newcomers looked at each other and seemed to be uncomfortable. 

"Didn't you get a call from them, Silene?" Raquel asked, turning to the little brunette. 

"Oh no... if it's an internal problem, only the department heads have to go to the office in such cases..." she said, looking for an excuse. 

"And so when is he coming?" asked Raquel, exasperated and above all very disappointed. 

"Oh well, tomorrow I think. Time to solve this problem... you know" Silene answered, and Agata and Alicia nodded. 

Raquel looked at them in turn. It was incredible what was happening. Sergio wasn't here. No one was worried. And that excuse about company problems? Raquel didn't believe it at all. She was sure he was avoiding her. He didn't know how to deal with her, and preferred to stay in Madrid instead.   
Raquel swallowed the ball that had formed in her throat, tried not to cry in front of everyone and followed her friend's home. 

After a very eventful meal where all her friends told each other about their holidays with their families, there was no shortage of discussion and laughter. Like all the time by the way. However, there was someone who was getting depressed in a corner of the room. The mood was not there. She didn't have the heart to celebrate the return of their friends.   
Raquel was really trying to be part of the conversation. She was really trying to answer their questions, or ask questions in turn, take an interest in what they were saying ... but she couldn't do it. She couldn't tell herself that it was for the sake of Monica, her best friend who practically saved her life, but she couldn't get interested in her marriage. She couldn't pretend anymore, so she was in her chair, hadn't touched the food, and was extremely sad and ready to cry. Sergio wasn't here. 

Andres had left shortly after dessert for Madrid, and Marivi had been up to bed for a long time now. So, after greeting the boys, kissing the girls, Raquel went up to her room. 

She had put on pajamas and sat on the bed with her back to the headboard. She was now looking at her phone, still waiting for an answer. 

The last message she had sent him was dated just before dinner, after the girls had arrived: 

"Sergio... I have no doubts now anymore and I know you're avoiding me. I just want to know if you're fine, and I'd also like to have time to explain myself to you before... well, before you make a decision. Please, call me back. Or text me." 

He still hadn't answered. 

What did it mean? He didn't answer her, hadn't come to Toledo, preferred to stay in Madrid while his friends were getting married in a few hours... 

As she was about to wipe away her tears that were beginning to fall, she heard someone knocking on the door and gently opened it. First she saw red hair, then two heads of black hair, and finally a blond mane appearing in the very small doorway. 

"Can we come in?" Monica asked in a very small voice. 

Raquel smiled at their behavior and waved them in. They rushed into the room and practically jumped on Raquel's bed. Monica and Alicia were on either side of Raquel, hugging her, and Agata and Silene were in front of them, sitting Indian style at their feet. 

“We saw that you were unhappy tonight... we wanted to continue the evening with you, cheering you up" said Alicia, putting her head on Raquel's shoulder. 

"The guys are smoking a cigar outside... and we wanted to save our strength for Monica's bachelorette party tomorrow night," Silene added. 

Raquel nodded her head in understanding. 

"So, what's going on?" Agata asked. 

Raquel tried to explain, but no words came out of her mouth without a flood of tears coming down. 

"I..." she closed her eyes and a tear came out, which did not escape the girls' eyes. They cried out and hugged Raquel closer and closer. She found herself in the middle of four pairs of arms that surrounded her and consoled her as she tried not to cry at all costs.   
After a while, they withdrew but this time Monica had wrapped her left arm with her two arms, Raquel had put her head on the shoulder of Alicia who had her arms around her, Agata was caressing her right leg, and Silene was caressing her left. 

"He's not here! He should have been here. I know he's avoiding me and it's killing me because it's my fault." 

"Raquel..." Monica said, but she cut it off: 

"No, I know it's my fault! I should never have let my grandfather talk to him like that, I should have followed him when he left, I should never have talked to him like that on the phone... because now he's been avoiding me for days and I'm afraid that he-"

"Stop it right now Raquel, you know very well that Sergio is madly in love with you, he won't break up with you" Silene replied. 

"I hurt him, so much. I should never have said that... I was so angry that my words went beyond my thoughts. I've never heard him so hurt... and knowing it's my fault, it hurts so much," said Raquel, wiping away her tears and clutching her chest. 

Without Raquel noticing, the girls gave each other a sympathetic look, heartbroken at seeing their friend in this state... but soon, very soon, Raquel will stop crying. 

"You know..." started Alicia who hated to see her dear friend crying so hard and feel so bad, the other girls gave her a warning look, but she wasn't going to say what was going on, "On the road to pick up Agata, we talked a lot, and... he doesn't blame you. He understands that you were overwhelmed with emotions that night," Alicia said. Raquel raised her head, and looked at her with hope, which tore Alicia's heart even more. 

"Yes, and last night at my parents' house, we talked too, and you are the woman of his life Raquel, don't doubt that," said Agata to support what Alicia was saying. 

"So why isn't he here? Why doesn't he answer my messages then?" Raquel insisted. 

"Do you want me to ask him about the company? Maybe, indeed, there is a problem, and I wouldn't be surprised, Prieto often asks Sergio for advice," Silene asked, taking out her phone and starting to send a message. 

"Maybe he doesn't know how to tell you what he's feeling about that situation," said Monica, trying to comfort her friend. 

"You know Profe, you're his first real serious relationship. Because between us, Veronica... it wasn't serious. You're the first woman in his life... and apart from us of course" Agata said laughing. 

"Yes... maybe you're right" said Raquel, playing with her nails. 

"You're his first serious relationship, so the first fight, he obviously doesn't know what to do... how to react" answered Alicia logically. 

"Here, look" said Silene, holding out her phone. She was able to see her discussion with Sergio and indeed, Silene had asked him what the problem was and Sergio had answered that there was a problem with a contract for Scottish investors and that it had to be fixed immediately before the New Year. 

"Well, you see! There's really a problem and he's not avoiding you", Monica concluded.

“And on top of that, we all know Sergio is a real emotional wreck! He probably doesn't know how to deal with this situation" finished Silene. 

Raquel thanked the girls. They were always there to comfort her, and Raquel was extremely grateful. Raquel bent over and thanked them by taking them in her arms and kissing them. 

"Men... I swear" Agata laughed. 

"Yes but, well, it's not just any man, it's Sergio Marquina we are talking about," said Alicia with an understanding look as the other girls laughed under Raquel's stunned gaze. 

"Yes... but he is my man too," she said a little falsely angry, which made the girls laugh more. 

"Come on Raquel... admit you've won the jackpot," Agata exclaimed. Raquel blushed and Alicia went on: 

"and he could have been happy with me... but no, he preferred to play with the pretty blonde" said Alicia laughing. 

"Tell us about it, we never knew what you did to him by the way," said Monica laughing. 

"Fuck... we're going to talk about my brother..." Silene laughed as she stood up. 

"Cover your ears then" laughed Alicia and stood up too: "Well Raquel, what I'm about to say now, don't take it personally, ok? It was a long time ago, my German really looked like Sergio, and... I've been cured since then, okay? So don't be scared" Raquel nodded her head and prepared for the worst. 

"Well, when Agata introduced me to her friends, a long time ago I clarify again, everyone had someone. I mean Monica had Daniel, Silene had Anibal, Andres and Martin together too... but there was Sergio... very single... and, let's be honest, this man is rich, has good principles, kind and nice... a good financial and social place, very handsome... and we all know what he hides under his shirts... and.. I hit on him. A lot" the girls laughed and Raquel can't imagine a younger Alicia flirting with her Sergio... her fiery temperament against Sergio's reserved and shy one... it must have been so funny to see, and Sergio's reaction even more so. "I really hit on him. All the time. And I was having a lot of fun... he was blushing, and didn't know how to make me stop... it was so so funny. It lasted at least 6 months!!! Even though Sergio didn't come to Hanoi on Fridays anymore, he was so scared of me in the end" the girls laughed and Alicia continued: "Finally, one night, I went to his place, I put on a long coat, and underneath... well, I had only my underwear on, very sexy and teasing... and when he opened the door, I jumped on him. Literally jumped on him. But he pushed me away, and in the end, I was the one who left blushing," Alicia finished, ashamed. The girls were laughing their heads off. 

"When we saw him afterward, he never could tell us what happened... you should have seen his face..." Monica said, wiping away her tears of laughter. 

"And we became just friends, very good friends, but I never tried anything after that... believe me, I understood that he wasn't interested" corrected Alicia to Raquel. The blonde laughed and immediately trusted Alicia, she knew very well that her friend was honest and trustworthy, and so did Sergio. 

"It must have been so funny to see," Raquel added. 

"I think the worst part was in college," said Agata, looking at Silene with a knowing look on her face. 

"Oh yes!!!! It was so funny back then too" replied the brunette. 

"Explain to us!!!" Monica said as she lay in bed, snuggling up to Raquel. Alicia did the same and the girls at their feet snuggled too with the blankets. 

"Well... you see Sergio now? All shy, not knowing how to behave, always blushing... well, he was a hundred times worse when he was younger," Silene simply explained. 

"Sergio has always been the kind of guy who doesn't know he's successful with women. So in college, with the unshaven little beard that he was growing, the fact that he was extremely smart and had the best grades.. worked as a bartender in a bar.. was part of the football and swimming team... played guitar and piano.. so there were bound to be women hanging around our apartment," said Agata, remembering their college years. "But I assure you, Daniel and Ani were very happy with the situation too" 

"He didn't know how to say no to these girls who were hitting on him. So to avoid them and be alone, he asked Agata and me to be his fake girlfriends. It was so weird to hold my brother's hand around campus” remembered Silene, almost disgusted at this thought. 

“No, you're wrong, it wasn't weird at all” corrected Agata with a knowing look, remembering very well she enjoyed those moments. The girls laughed at what the brunettes said until their laughs faded away as they saw Raquel lost in her thoughts. 

“Raquelita.. por favor. Keep in mind that he loves you.. and he knows he's won the jackpot with you too” said Alicia by putting a comforting arm around Raquel's shoulder. 

“I've never seen my brother so happy since he's with you, he truly loves you” said Silene. She felt as if she had to comfort her, since she had a very bad behavior towards her at the beginning of their relationship. 

“I'm ready to bet my wedding that tomorrow, when he'll be there, he'll be the one apologizing to you over and over” said Monica, snuggling against her friend. 

“And I bet everything I own that you'll have so much reconciliation sex that you won't be able to stand upright next to Monica on her wedding day” said Agata, which made everyone laugh. 

They all snuggled more against each other, as Raquel kept thanking them again and again.   
Finally, they all fell asleep in Raquel's bed as the blonde woman reminded herself how lucky she was to have them in her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really really like this "girl bonding" moments, I figured out I didn't write much of them, so I tried to do something, and I'm very proud of it ;) 
> 
> What do you think? Sergio's absence... what's going on????? ;)


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola :) 
> 
> A new chapter as usual.. I must warn you that I'm quite proud of myself, and my dear Luisa cried :) 
> 
> I won't say more, except thank you again for the kudos and comments, it's always a pleasure to see so many reactions to my work :) 
> 
> See you Saturday ;)

The next morning, Raquel woke up a bit confused. She was lying on her side, and it was the ringing of a phone that pulled her out of her sleep.

She felt her cheek getting wet, weights on her legs so that she couldn't move, and a weight on her back and side as well. She tried to straighten up, but she couldn't. The weight on her back prevented her from making any movement.   
First she moved her fingers, then, her hand, finally, her arm, and as soon as she was free, she tapped the face that was just above her and was drooling over her. Red hair appeared in front of her eyes: 

“Stop that I'm sleeping” she recognised Alicia. 

She tried to move, but the person behind her prevented any movement. So, as soon as she was awake enough, she moved with a sharp jerk, which caused the person behind her to fall to the ground. The person shouted in surprise... maybe in pain, which woke everyone up. Raquel saw two dark-haired heads coming out from under the blankets at her feet, and Raquel felt the circulation of her blood finally reach her toes. Alicia hadn't moved an inch and instead, settled even deeper into the pillow. Raquel turned around and saw Monica, sitting on the floor, her blonde curls going in all directions, looking completely haggard, wondering what had just happened. Agata and Silene could hardly keep their eyes open, but they had the same reaction as Raquel: they burst out laughing. 

“Come on girls.. shut up please” mumbled Alicia against the pillow. 

Which made the girls laugh even harder. Raquel turned to her blonde friend on the floor who was beginning to come to her senses from her agitated awakening, and Raquel saw the exact moment when Monica had understood: 

"I'M GETTING MARRIED TOMORROW" she said, getting up quickly and jumping on the bed. 

Agata, Silene and Raquel took her in their arms and after some noisy and agitated hugs, jumped on the bed while Alicia was trying to sleep... They all jumped on the redhead, who finally gave up the idea of going back to sleep and was agitated in turn with the others.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?????" 

Daniel and Anibal had burst into the room with the door wide open. They were alarmed to hear so much noise this morning and were worried. They saw the five girls standing on the bed with their hair in the wind. All had stopped jumping of joy at the boys' surprise entrance. It was Monica who broke the surprise silence and ran towards Daniel, shouting: 

"WE'RE GETTING MARRIED TOMORROW!"

She shouted as she jumped into his arms, and as soon as Daniel heard her, he happily received her and made her spin in the air around him under the happy eyes of their friends. 

Silene had jumped into the arms of Anibal who had welcomed her as well and finally Martin, dressed in a red silk bathrobe, arrived next, stayed in the entrance and watched the two happy couples kissing: 

"disgusting" he had said seriously but with a real smile on his face. He continued to say to the three women who were still on the bed: 

“A fantastic breakfast is waiting for you ladies.. made by me, and my dear Marivi”

And he said to Raquel maliciously: 

"I might be your new step-daddy by the way", he said with a wink. Raquel laughed at his behavior so as her friends in the room. 

At breakfast, the atmosphere was very cheerful, and Raquel had recovered a little from the previous night's discussion with the girls. They were able to cheer her up, and despite Sergio's absence this morning, she was able to laugh at Martin's bullshit, and at the behavior of Monica and Daniel who seemed to be in a hurry to be at their wedding the next day. 

"So what's on the agenda for today," Anibal asked. 

"Well... we can do first the fittings for the dresses and costumes, and then the bachelor and bachelorette parties," Monica said simply. 

"So we're going to have to split up into men and women? "Anibal asked. 

"Well yes, that's the principle," said Alicia, making fun of Anibal's naivety. 

"Andres will join us when he will be back," said Daniel, smiling at his future wife. "Who's doing what tonight? I have no idea what they have in store for me," he continued laughing. 

"Everything's booked for us tonight, but yeah, we're going back at the house.. normally," said Martin with a big smile on his face. 

"And we... are not going to tell you what we've got planned for Monica, even she doesn't know," Agata said jokingly. 

"So we're splitting up now and you won't see each other again until tomorrow then?" Silene asked.

"I guess so... and Andres will contact you when he's back," said Monica.

Raquel watched her friends chatting more than she was participating in the conversation. Of course she had found a bit of joie de vivre again, thanks to her friends, but she thought it was strange that her friends only talked about Andres' absence. After all Sergio was a full member of their gang, why didn't they talk about him? 

Raquel didn't have time to think about it any more than everyone got up from the table and decided to go get ready while Monica and Daniel said goodbye to each other. They would only see each other again the next day when they said yes for eternity, and even though they were sad not to see each other for 24 hours, when they see each other again, it will be for the most beautiful moment of their lives. 

The girls had gone back to their rooms to pack their suitcases, as they had booked 1 large suite in the nearest hotel to spend the night. They could try on bridesmaids dresses and Monica's bridal gown in this suite before they could start Monica's bachelorette party, and then get prepared for her wedding tomorrow. 

While Raquel was putting some clothes in her suitcase, she finally understood that now she would only see Sergio the next day at the wedding. If he did come. Well yes, after all, they were supposed to see each other two days before, then he was due to arrive yesterday, and now, if he didn't arrive within an hour... she would only see him the next day. She threw her shirt in the suitcase and sat down next to it on the bed. She was now very upset by this situation. She had no idea what he expected from their relationship, and that's what made Raquel angry, tired and saddened her the most. Not knowing. She hadn't heard from him at all. What does he want now? Does he still want to be in a relationship with her? If only he could just respond to her texts or calls, she wouldn't be so miserable thinking about the future of their relationship. 

She was taken out of her thoughts by a knock on her door, she recognised Alicia's voice: 

"Mi amor! We're leaving now or Monica will never leave Dani" 

She smiled at her friend's voice and gave herself the courage to stand up. She closed her suitcase, checked around her one last time that she hadn't forgotten anything and quickly joined her friends in the living room. 

She arrived and saw Monica and Daniel on the side, saying goodbye... again. Martin and Agata were laughing at them while the others were waiting for a little impatiently for the lovers. 

"Martin?" Raquel asked as she walked towards him. The man turned towards her. 

"Can you send me a message as soon as Sergio arrives please?" she asked, whispering so that the others wouldn't hear her. The man saw that the woman was worried about his brother-in-law's absence and told her it was the first thing he would do. She smiled at him and thanked him. 

"Well, lovers, it's when you want," Silene said, taking her suitcase. 

Daniel and Monica finally let go of each other and the girls said goodbye to everyone, Marivi would stay home in the evening and then joined Monica's mother and Augustin for the night. They wanted to take the opportunity to spoil themselves. 

They took 2 different cars in the direction of the hotel which was only a few minutes away from the house. Suitcases and wedding outfits in the trunk, they left for their new destination.   
Arriving quickly, they fetched the keys to their suite, and arrived in their huge room. No sooner had the suitcases left than Monica insisted on seeing her four bridesmaids in their dresses. She wanted to think about something else, still feeling sad for having left Daniel. 

Agata and Silene went into one bathroom with their bridesmaid's slipcovers in their arms, and Raquel and Alicia did the same but in the other bathroom. 

Monica went around in circles in the room, waiting, not very patiently, for her friends to show up. She wanted to chew her nail but she remembered that she had a nail appointment the next morning for her wedding. She had a smile on her face and finally decided to sit on the couch. 

"So? What the fuck are you doing in there?! I'm waiiiiiting" Monica cried out. 

"Yeah, it's good for us," cried Alicia, and Silene replied the same way. 

The two doors opened at the same time, letting the four women through. Monica stood up, shocked. She put one hand to her mouth, swallowed her tears and looked at her four best friends, tears in her eyes, very happy. 

The dresses they had chosen were all dark red, with thin straps, falling elegantly below the knees, supported by a white ribbon at the waist, thus raising their chests in a small bustier.   
All four were perfect, magnificent. They all looked at each other, very satisfied with the result. 

"Satisfied Monica? We haven't put on any weight since this summer, still look good on us," said Silene, arms folded, looking at her mischievously. 

Monica laughed at her friend and shook her head. 

"Yeah... you're beautiful. Maybe even too much so... Well now, move over, it's my turn!!!" Monica said, rushing towards her dress, which made the other four laughed hard. 

The four of them now spent nearly 20 minutes helping Monica put on her dress. After long minutes of talking about which lace was going where, they stepped back to admire it.   
Monica had fallen in love with a dress... the perfect dress for her.   
A long white strapless dress that perfectly emphasized her breasts and hips. The train fell beautifully at her feet and behind her. Beautifully patterned lace adorned her arms, the top of her chest and her back. Monica was really beautiful.   
All five of them started to cry when they saw Monica so beautiful, and the emotion took them very quickly. All five of them hugged each other. 

After this moment of tenderness and emotion, the girls got dressed again.

"Well well well, what do we do now?" asked Monica, putting her bag on her shoulder.

"Soooo, as your last day as Miss Gaztambide, you will follow us without question." said Agata, leading the way to the door. And the five of them went to the first thing planned by her bridesmaids.

The girls were now on their way to Monica's first surprise. All four of them knew the day and the evening plans perfectly as they worked it out together.   
Monica was very, very excited about what her friends had prepared for her. Silene and Agata were leading Monica to the destination, and behind them Alicia and Raquel were laughing at Monica, arm in arm. She looked like a little girl just a few hours before Christmas. Monica kept asking questions and Silene and Agata kept telling her about atrocities, far from what they were going to do, which made the two women in the back laughing extremely hard when they saw the reaction of the blonde. 

Raquel had clearly lost her bad mood. Already because she wanted to make the most of Monica's last moments as a "bachelor" and be a good friend to the one she considered a sister since their 20s. The dress fittings had been very emotional. And when she had looked at her phone one last time and still saw no answer from Sergio, she had had enough of his childish behavior. They had had a disagreement, mostly because of her, Raquel was deeply aware of that. She was the only one to blame for this situation. But as adult persons, they should discuss it, talk about it with each other to solve the problem. She was a strong and independent woman, and above all... mature, unlike him. Yes, she had made a mistake, but to see him react like that... Raquel thought she had more important things to do now: to celebrate the last moments of her friend's bachelor's life than being sad for a man who didn't want to share what he thought about the future of their relationship with her. 

So the five women almost reached their destination when Agata had Monica stopped, asking her if she had any ideas. 

"Honestly... with everything you've just told me..." Monica thought, laughing. 

"Well, first, since you're the stress type, we thought we'd do something to relax," said Alicia, pointing to the building in the distance. 

The girls had planned a few hours of rest in a SPA with a full body massage session, jacuzzi... everything to be in shape for her evening, but also her wedding. The sign was known to the four women because they had been there once before. The girls remembered how much Monica enjoyed coming. And Raquel said how much Monica would love to do this activity because for some time, between the wedding planning, Sergio's accident and the activity at their work which was going very well but was taking up a lot of her free time, Raquel said that Monica needed a few hours of rest where someone would take care of her. 

Full body massage, jacuzzi and whirlpool, facial scrub, body care... all five of them took full advantage of the 3 hours of relaxation. So much so that when they left those hours of paradise, they were walking on a cloud. 

Once out, Alicia was the one who guided the girls next. The next destination was her idea. It was around 4pm, and all that rest now needed... a good treat! Alicia had discovered a kind of bar-brewery that offered homemade pastries, drinks... paradise on earth for the redhead. And it was a great idea because they all ended up on extremely comfortable sofas / armchairs, all sorts of excellent pastries in front of them, accompanied by coffee or hot chocolate, while music was playing in the background. It was a great fun time where they were able to talk a lot and get even closer together. 

After some time, Raquel remembered that it was planned that the girls would take Monica to a good restaurant and then go to a nightclub to dance, their favorite activity together. 

Raquel tried to make a sign by showing her watch to the girls without Monica noticing, but it was a waste of time, they seemed to be obsessed with the fact that it was possible to draw on the walls. There were slates of different colours everywhere, customers could leave their mark on the wall... The girls had fun like children, drawing, sometimes obscenities, or writing puns. 

Raquel discreetly approached Agata and said:

"Agat'... we have to go back to the hotel to get ready." 

Agata stopped drawing penises on the face she had drawn resembling Silene, and besides, without mentioning the penises, Raquel noticed how talented her friend was, Silene's drawing was really well done... Agata turned to Raquel: 

"Never interrupt an artist in her creation Raquel" she said laughing. But the brunette nodded and turned to her friends to announce their departure. 

So they left for the exit, while on the slate wall, Alicia put the final touch to her creation: she had made a caricature of Daniel and Monica with a "soon-to-be-married" above them.

Once outside, Raquel began to explain the rest of their day to her friend by saying that they have to go back to the hotel to get ready. 

"Um... Raquel? Change of plan," Silene said as she walked towards the two cars. 

"What do you mean?" Raquel said, surprised. 

"Yeah, we decided on one last thing before going back to the hotel" agreed Agata heading towards one of the cars too. 

Raquel didn't ask any more questions and went into Alicia's car while the other three got into Silene's car.   
Raquel questioned her friend on the way, but it seems that the redhead didn't know about the last-minute change either.

Alicia was closely following Silene's car, and Raquel was really wondering where they were going. They were moving away from the city, and even though Alicia was talking about something else, including their friends' wedding meal, Raquel was sure she knew something. She had this smirk on her face, her mischievous eyes... and that pissed Raquel off. A lot. 

After a few minutes of driving, after they had left the city a long time ago and ventured out into the nature that surrounded Toledo, Raquel recognized the road. There she was angry. 

"What are we doing here?" she asked curtly. 

"I don't know, I keep telling you I'm just following Silene and Agata" said Alicia, keeping her eyes on the road. 

The car stopped near the brunette, in a large parking lot in the middle of nowhere. Trees and trees surrounding them. Of course Raquel knew this place. This is where Sergio took her on their second date. 

"What are we doing here?" Raquel asked, slamming the car door. 

The other three girls got out of the car, and Silene said calmly: 

"Monica loves nature. You know as well as I do, she loves camping and-" Raquel cut it off. 

"So you want to go camping a few hours from our restaurant reservation?" ironically said Raquel which made the other girls laugh. 

Silene was a little mad at them because they were laughing, she needed help right now, damn it, she thought. 

"No, of course she didn't. But going for a walk here... she's been here a few times with us or even with the guys for hiking and camping, and we have some good memories," Silene explained somehow. 

Well, I have some memories here and it's not a good time to think about it now, thought Raquel. 

Raquel didn't understand. Why hadn't the girls talked to her about it? She would have understood that last surprise. Even more that it was a good idea. But it's true that it wasn't the right place for it. This is where it all started with Sergio. And today, months later, their relationship, if it still existed, wasn't at its best, because he still didn't talk to her. 

But, Monica seemed happy about this surprise, and Raquel decided to follow them, while she was practically being dragged by the bride-to-be along the path, still lost in her thoughts. 

They were walking on the path. Raquel was following their conversation without really taking part in it. They recalled their memories of hiking and camping, and Monica seemed really happy. That's what was important, kept thinking Raquel trying to not think about her own memories here. 

They had been walking for maybe 30 minutes when all of a sudden, a silence interrupted Raquel's walk, not used to the lack of noise with her friends.   
She looked up and saw that her four friends had stopped a little further down the path and looked at her with big eyes. 

"Why did you stop?" Raquel asked in amazement. 

"Well ... actually, you have to continue this part of the path alone now," said Monica, with a big smile on her face. 

Her four friends let her pass, stars in her eyes. She walked two or three meters forward, still full of questions and a little worried, and on her right she recognised the little place where she and Sergio had spent their dear afternoon together, remembering very well how it ended. 

As the day had begun to fade, small garlands of red, blue and white lights had been installed in the trees, leaving a pathway. Raquel didn't understand anything and turned to her friends. They practically jumped to the spot and waved to her to move forward. 

So she took the path of light and arrived in the small field where so many good memories came. She looked up and saw him. 

Sergio was standing at the very end of the path, near the water. He was looking at the ground, running his hand through his hair, putting his black coat back on, or pushing his glasses over his nose again and again. Raquel immediately noticed how worried he was when she saw how tight his shoulders were. 

What the hell is he doing here?? Raquel thought. 

She walked towards him very quickly and determined, and Sergio finally noticed that she was there. 

Sergio had a smile on his face as soon as he saw her, but his smile quickly faded when he saw how angry she looked.

"What the fuck are you doing here? What the hell is this crap? What did you do to get me to come here?" 

Sergio tried to talk but she cut him off. 

"Because I know it wasn't planned and the girls did it at the last minute" 

Sergio tried to talk again but she motioned for him to shut up. 

"I'm not finished, so don't cut me off. You don't answer my messages for days and then you're here. Why are you setting this up? Doing this on this special day for Monica and Daniel, who do you think you are?!"

Sergio tried to talk once more... but then again... 

"And then you don't show up for your friends' wedding preparations? That's good... what an exemplary behavior as one of the best man!!!! And the fact that you don't answer my messages... I know I hurt you, I know that and I'm deeply sorry, and I know Juan hurt you, but you didn't give me time to explain! You don't answer my messages... Do you have any idea what I was thinking during that time? This is a childish behaviour Sergio and I don't approve of it at all, I'm not 20 anymore and-" 

This time, Sergio didn't let her talk and took what seems to be a ring case out of his pocket while putting a knee to the ground. 

Raquel stopped talking immediately, motionless, and looked at him with big eyes. Sergio smiled, that was the effect he wanted to do so that she would stop talking and he could say a word. 

"First of all, hola mi amor. I had planned to make a speech, explain myself and then get down on a knee, but again, I didn't anticipate your reaction, which would be to yell at me. So I'm going to improvise" 

said Sergio, putting his jeans back on and settling back down, still on a knee on the ground. He looked up at Raquel and said: 

"At first, I was angry with you, it's true. I couldn't understand why you told me that, and why you didn't say anything. So I turned off my phone, I wanted time to myself to think... And then Alicia and Agata came and they managed to reason with me and make me understand that you had nothing to do with it. I get it. You got caught up in your emotions. Because if your grandfather acts like that, who cares? If your brother-in-law's in love with you... I don't care. If an ex comes back to you and begs you to go with him... I just don't care. Because you love me and I love you”

He took a deep breath and tried to relax a bit as he was so stressed. 

“Indeed, you're right. I don't have any biological family, I only have my brother, and I can't understand what you're going through. I don't know what it's like to have parents, grandparents... I don't know what it's like, and I can't really blame you for telling me that. Although... I chose my family. Those idiots who try to listen to what I'm saying to you..." 

said Sergio, pointing at people behind her. Raquel turned around and saw that all their friends and her mom were there. Even Lucas, Yashin and Roberto were there, all smiling and some even had tears in their eyes. She turned back to Sergio again, with a huge smile on her face. 

"But most of all, You. You are my family. The first member, by the way. You owned the first place as soon as I lay my eyes on you. The one I'll do anything and everything for. Because I love you unconditionally. I thought it was impossible to love one person so much... and yet, you are the woman of my life Raquel." 

Raquel now had tears in her eyes and continued to let him speak. 

"So all night at Agata's parents' house, I tried to figure out how to make amends, and I came up with this plan. Because in the beginning, the reason I was so stressed about meeting your family was because of that. I turned on my phone and saw that you left so many messages and that an unknown number had left me a message too. Your grandfather was waiting for me to apologize. I planned to go to your hometown afterward, but I had to do something first. And when I arrived in Madrid yesterday, I asked Andres to join me and give me our mother's engagement ring." 

Sergio opened the case and Raquel saw a beautiful, simple ring, adorned with a tiny diamond. It was so beautiful shining and seemed to be just waiting for her finger. 

"Then, once the ring was in my pocket, I went to your place. Juan told me what you had told him, he explained how he felt and why he acted like that, the whole thing, you leaving for Barcelona, and what he thought about it, what your family thought about it, the pressure and all the things you had gone through as a result of this departure, and most importantly, he apologized and accepted my request. Then I went directly to Toledo, where I waited for you to leave this morning. I spoke to your mother, I asked her if she approved of my presence by your side for the rest of our days, and she obviously agreed" 

Raquel was crying now and didn't know if she should try to wipe her tears at the risk of losing sight of Sergio for a thousandth of a second, or let her tears flow. 

"Everybody was in confidence, I really wanted it to be a surprise. So, yes, I did ruin your girls' day a little bit, but according to Monica, "it's really for the right purpose". I'm sorry I didn't write back, I'm sorry I made you think terrible things. Because it's indeed for a good cause. Raquel, we're meant to be together." 

Raquel smiled at him even bigger as if it were possible and held her breath at what was to follow. 

"Raquel Murillo, my dear, strong, brave and beautiful woman, will you marr-"

"YES!" Raquel exclaimed, almost jumping to the spot. Sergio laughed and said: 

"Give me time to finish my sentence please, I want it to be perfect" 

"I told you I wouldn't let you finish," she said she couldn't wait. 

"Raquel, mi amor... Will you marry me?" 

“OH YES YES YES” cried Raquel as she let him take her hand and placed the magnificent ring on her finger. 

She couldn't stop smiling, and with the ring on her finger, Sergio stood up and she jumped on his neck and he twirled her around them as their friends got closer and congratulated them besides them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooo ???? I WANT YOUR OPINION.
> 
> For those who were #TeamSergio, of course there will be a discussion between the two where Raquel will apologise properly, it's normal and logical, don't worry :)


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello :) 
> 
> First of all, thank you very much for your comments, it's the first time I have so much for only one chapter, thank you thank you thank you !!!
> 
> Here I am again for the next chapter, I hope you'll like it :)
> 
> I wanted to warn you that I'm having a little trouble writing the next chapter, which will unfortunately be the last one ! I don't know if I'll be available next Wednesday to post it, but I promise to do my best. 
> 
> Which brings me to what I wanted to tell you: the last chapter of the story will be the next one. BUT! I plan to post long one shots, on what I couldn't incorporate in this story, I already have a lot of ideas, don't worry ^^
> 
> Thanks a lot :)

Raquel was sitting in the restaurant, the girls around her were chatting with joy and laughter. 

Her eyes shining in the emptiness, lost in her thoughts, she couldn't take away the blissful smile on her lips. 

What the hell just happened?? 

Sergio had come out of nowhere, had planned a surprise for her, and proposed to her. Just thinking about it, she shook her head and smiled even harder, as if it were possible. 

"Show us your ring again," Alicia exclaimed, taking her hand. 

She was out of her dreams and showed (again) her hand to the girls. 

They said again how beautiful it was, and Raquel could only approve, her ring was indeed very beautiful. But what she liked most about this ring was the symbolism. It was Sergio's mother's ring. He gave it to her. Of course, Raquel knew how much Sergio cared about his parents, how much he wanted to know his mother, how much he wanted to see his parents in love with each other... And he chose to give it to her. Thanks to that gesture, Raquel could never doubt his love for her, ever. At this thought, her heart swelled with love and joy. 

When Sergio had put the ring on her finger, she had jumped into his arms, wrapped both arms around his neck, and she had cried so much. They had exchanged a passionate kiss to the applause of their family who had come to join them. Soon after Raquel and Sergio's congratulations and Raquel's amazement for her surprise, the girls and guys had lost no time and wanted to separate right away so that they could meet again the next day for the wedding. So, apart from a long goodbye kiss with Sergio, she hadn't really had time to talk with him.

She had been dragged by the other girls towards the hotel, changed clothes, and now they were at the restaurant. And Raquel didn't know how she got there, she had made all her movements like a robot as she was still in shock. 

"Look at her... was I like this when I told you that Dani proposed to me?" Monica laughed. 

"You were worse," Silene laughed. 

Raquel raised her head and looked at them, still with bright eyes and a smile on her face. 

"I can't believe it," Raquel said, touching the ring gently, as if to make sure it was on her finger and she didn't dream of what happened. 

"About what?" said Agata.

"I can't believe he did all this for me," said Raquel as a tear of happiness slides down her cheek. 

"Well... you can thank us, because it's thanks to Agata and me, we put his mind at ease," said Alicia as she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. 

"We all got a message from him the next day. He explained what he wanted to do and told us to help him to buy time and by tricking you... like Andres and his problem with his company." 

"It wasn't true..." Raquel began to play out the events of the last few days and understood better. 

"No, not at all, it was just to give him their mother's ring," said Silene, happy about this trick. 

"By the way!! When you arrived and said Sergio had a problem with Prieto... I thought I was going to kill you," says Monica, laughing. 

"It wasn't easy to find an excuse... we said the first thing that came into our minds" Agata laughed.

"I knew it wasn't true too..." Raquel said laughing. 

"I still caught up with it afterward," Silene exclaimed. 

“And when we stay the night before in my room, was it a trick too?” asked Raquel.

“Oh no no no no my dear. You were so sad, we really wanted to reassure you," said Monica. 

"We felt so guilty," said Alicia. Raquel thanked them again because they had really helped her this time. Her mood was so down, their girl's reunion was truly a good idea. 

“And by the way Silene... you would be a terrific actress” said Agata laughing. Raquel remembered the way Silene had reacted to Andres' announcement when he said he had to leave for Madrid the day before. 

“Hey! Don't say that! I would be a wonderful actress... it's just that we are talking about my brother's proposal...” and then Silene had a sort of revelation, “Oh shit, my brother is getting married” she said, eyes blanked and motionless. 

“I still can't believe it... and I still can't believe I'm engaged now” said Raquel as the girls congratulated her again. 

“Now let's celebrate!!!” exclaimed Monica as she raised her drink. The others followed her: 

“To my last bachelor party and Raquel's engagement!!!!”

Once they had eaten at the restaurant, the girls took over one of the night clubs in Toledo and spent a very good part of the night there. 

They arrived, passed by in priority since they had made the necessary arrangements to be in the VIP area. So they went there, left their coats and handbags and sat down at their private tables. The atmosphere was already settled, a crowd was already dancing, the bar was crowded too, the alcohol was flowing, bodies stuck together dancing and making out in the dark... They ordered a bottle of tequila and once their drink was finished, they all joined the dance floor.   
Some of Monica's and Raquel's friends from college and other relatives had joined them. No men. Only women, that was the slogan of the evening. 

Monica was really having the best night of her life: her party with Raquel and her friends where they had celebrated their graduation was nothing compared to this one.   
Silene and Agata spent all their time dancing and drinking. Monica jumped and danced around shouting to everyone "I' GETTING MARRIED TOMORROW" what everyone was laughing at and invited her to have a drink to celebrate. Alicia and Raquel spent their time dancing with Monica when she was with them, or with the others who had arrived, getting to know them for Alicia or making lost time for Raquel for the ones whom she knew back from college. 

Monica was celebrating her last minutes as a bachelor, Raquel was celebrating her engagement and the girls weren't the last ones to party too. All five were in control of the dance floor, everyone was watching them having fun and they were clearly the center of attention for the evening. With the effort to dance, the heat of the night club, the alcohol to cool down, all of them began to be more or less intoxicated. 

They were all dancing when Silene asked Raquel to go to the bathroom with her. Raquel agreed, although it was true that her legs were starting to hurt and she wanted to freshen up a bit. 

Silene and Raquel made their way through the sweaty bodies until they reached the bathroom corridor, where Silene suddenly stopped and started looking around.   
As if she could see something in that darkness and with her small size, Raquel thought. 

"The toilet is that way Silene," said Raquel, taking the brunette's arm to pull her in. 

"No, I don't feel like going to the toilet at all, I'm looking for someone... There he is," she said, tiptoeing. Until Raquel felt a tender hand on her arm and pulled it towards a strong torso that she recognized immediately. 

"Thank you, Silene," he said. 

"You're welcome, I'll cover your absence Raquel and don't do anything stupid... don't do what I'll do and do what I won't do," said Silene confused, clearly drunk, "no it's not that, let me rephrase it... do what I'll do, and do what I won't do," she was totally lost, which made the other two laugh, she tried it again but got lost.. again. "Anyway, you got it," she said waving her hand. 

"We got it," laughed Raquel. And Silene went out dancing weirdly toward their friends and waving goodbye to them. She then disappeared into the dark crowd of sweaty bodies. 

"Hola señora," said Sergio as he ran his fingers through her hair, pulling gently her head close to his. 

Raquel was totally leaning against him with her head up and looking at him with stars in her eyes. 

"Señor... Do you come here often?" she said as she ran her hands over his chest. 

"It's my first time... I was told that the woman of my life was here" he said, with mischievous eyes. 

“Did you find her?” she said seductively, still running her hands over his chest. He was still wearing his coat, but she was roaming her hands over his shirt, then his back, and finally encircling his waist. 

“Oh yes, I found her” he said as he bent his head to capture her divine mouth, making his lips gently danced on hers. 

Raquel, already quite a little bit intoxicated with alcohol, was completely under the spell of his lazy kisses, gently letting their lips dance between them, as only them knew how to do. Delicately, with no rush. Lazy and a bit messy. They took their time to rediscover themselves.   
Eyes closed, Raquel was still leaning against his torso, her caressing hands back on his chest while Sergio's was still in her hair. They kissed for a few minutes before they parted, delicately, but their lips were still touching. They slowly opened their eyes and Raquel sighed with happiness: 

"You asked me to marry you" 

Sergio smiled and gently ran his fingers over her eyelids, her eyebrows, and finally put his hands on her jaw as some of his fingers played tenderly with her hair behind her ears. 

"And you said yes," he murmured too and laughed. He still holds her head so close to his. Even though they only talk by whispering, and with the loud music, only they could hear what they were saying, as if they were in their own bubble. 

"And I said yes," she agreed, following his laugh. 

Suddenly, Raquel became aware of his presence during Monica's bachelorette party and asked what he was doing here. 

"Well ..." Sergio said, reversing their position, so Raquel found herself with her back to the wall, Sergio trapped her body with his. She automatically put her arms around his neck, caressing the back of his head. "I was with the guys, we were celebrating Dani's wedding tomorrow, your positive answer to my request, I was starting to drink a little too much, too happy about what happened, and finally, as we were heading towards our final.. let's say activity, I remembered that Silene had said you'd finish your party here. So I slipped away, I came here, and I kindly waited for Silene to bring you to me" he whispered to her as he put tender kisses behind her ear and in her neck. 

Raquel sighed and ran her fingers through his hair, pulling them as she moaned. 

“You slipped away from your friend's bachelor party?” Sergio nodded against her neck as he was devouring the top of her breast. “For me?” she murmured and he nodded again, still very concentrate to deliver tender kisses on her delicious skin. “I'm very lucky then” she moaned again as he was now sucking the back of her jaw. 

“Ohh Raquel.. I'm the lucky one here believe me” he said as he put his leg between her legs to give her some support. She took the opportunity to place one of hers around his hips to be even closer. Their intimacy slowly rubbed as they began to kiss more fiercely, abandoning the delicacy of before. 

As he ravaged her mouth, he deliciously approached her ear to whisper to her while still gently moving his hips over hers: 

"I had to come, I couldn't spend another hour without you." 

and he came back to her mouth, and this time the tip of his tongue asked for access to her mouth. And she accepted it willingly as her heart seemed to explode with so much kindness and love of his words, but with also lust because of their body's reaction. Their tongues had begun a bitter battle, one of his hands was in her neck to direct her head exactly where he wanted it, and the other was on her waist, caressing her skin lightly over her dress. Raquel's was also in his neck, and the other was dangerously placed against the buckle of his belt. She had only the tips of her feet on the floor, stood now mainly thanks to his hips always moving delightfully against hers, thanks to his leg between hers and also to her leg always sliding against his hips. 

No one could really see them. They were in the hallway leading to the toilet, in a dimly lit corner, and fortunately, because they could very well have been judged for being in such a position. They were well hidden, so they were giving themselves up to a wild make-out session. 

After minutes, or even hours, they parted gently, their breathing jerky, rosy cheeks, bright eyes, and dilated pupils, they looked at each other wildly. Almost disheveled, Sergio moved his hips, trying to make room in his pants which had become too tight. Raquel swallowed and smiled devilishly at him and moved her hand towards his bulge.   
He smiled and gently took her hand away and kissed it, always looking her straight in the eyes. He took both her hands and stuck them against the wall near her head and moved dangerously close to her lips without touching them: 

"Do you want to go home?" he suggested as Raquel alternated her glance between his lips and his eyes. He fiercely took her lips again already very inflated and then sucked her lower lip. He put a tender blow of hip directly where he knew it was very wet and relaxed her lips dangerously slowly. 

"Let's go now," she said as she gently loosened his grip. She took a few seconds to get her legs used to moving again, they had become so soft because of him that she had a very satisfied smile on her lips. 

Sergio took her by the hips and walked behind her, her back against his torso certainly to hide his bulge that was visible. Even though they were practically in the dark, only illuminated by the play of light, he didn't want to risk it. And it was much more satisfying to have found this excuse to stick to his beloved. 

He accompanied Raquel to her things, where they saw from their table that the other girls were still having fun on the dance floor, Agata and Alicia were dangerously close playing a seduction game, Monica was in the arms of other friends and Silene was still dancing with someone whom she probably didn't know.   
They laughed at their friends, and Raquel decided to leave them a message on their phone, just saying that they shouldn't worry because she had left with Sergio.   
Once done, Sergio slid his arm around her waist, gently put a kiss on her hair, Raquel smiled at him and led them out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next and last chapter on explanations, reconciliation sex, and Monver's wedding < 3


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is, the last chapter is here. 
> 
> Good evening to all :) I hope you're well? 
> 
> I know, I'm publishing a bit later than usual, but the chapter is here! The last official one with more than 10k! 
> 
> The story is finished... or not? As I've explained to some of you, I don't feel the pressure of having to post 2 chapters a week anymore. For the last 3 months, I've been publishing twice a week, and I think it's huge knowing that I've never missed a publication. 
> 
> That's why I'm not going to publish any more per week... but I'm not finished with this story yet! I have a lot more ideas for those long one shots ;)) I already have a few, but I encourage you to give me ideas of what you'd like to read! 
> 
> In any case, I can't thank you enough for everything this adventure has made me live; I met a great person, I talked with people from all over the world with whom we all share the same passion, I grew up as a writer and as a fan. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did ;)) 
> 
> See you very soon, and most of all... have a good reading ;))

To Raquel's amazement, Sergio's bike was parked not far from the night club.  
On the way out, she looked at him with a big smile and started running, while she was still holding his hand. She led him to his bike and he laughed to see her so happy and carefree. 

When she got close to the bike, she turned around and smiled at him, waiting patiently. But as he stooped down to retrieve their helmets, he took her by surprise and kissed her fiercely against the side of the bike. She screamed in surprise and took his face with both hands and smiled against his lips. They kissed again and as things were still beginning to go further, she laughed and said: 

"We'll never get home at this rate, and I really really want to get home"

He laughed and released her from against his bike. 

The short bike ride from the night club to the house was a real struggle for Sergio. Raquel had of course placed her delicate hands around his waist. She had pressed then her hands against his stomach, and despite their coats separating them, Sergio felt Raquel's breast pressed against him. That fact, again... it would be okay. But that was without counting Raquel and her wandering hands; at the beginning, she had placed her hands on his stomach, caressing him gently through his coat. Then, feeling the thrill of it, she had decided to put her hands under his coat and slide them dangerously against his shirt.. and even under it! And then going to the buckle of his belt again. How many times had Sergio had to fight to avoid an accident, or keep his eyes open in the face of her sweet torture. At first he had taken her hands off, but she was really stubborn, and she had repeated his actions. So Sergio must have had a lot of control and concentration over his behavior. 

As soon as they reached the house, Sergio almost jumped off the bike, took off his helmet and waited for Raquel to do the same. But even then... she looked at him with eyes full of lust, love... 

"Don't ever do that again, we could have an accident!" he said, taking off her helmet. 

"I thought you'd loved it though..." she said maliciously. She put her hair back on. 

He looked at her, jokingly shook his head and took her hand to guide her home. 

When they arrived in front of the house, they noticed that there was indeed no one there. Raquel looked at him with mischievous eyes and decided to lead him inside the house. But Sergio held her back.  
She turned around, with a lot of questions in her eyes, and he said: 

"Would you like to talk about first?" He looked nervous standing straight in front of her and pushed his glasses back again. 

"I've already said yes," she said, laughing. He smiled tenderly at her and replied: 

"About Christmas" Raquel understood immediately and let herself be guided by Sergio this time. 

He led her, still holding her hand to one of the deckchairs by the pool. The air was a little fresh, but nothing to worry about. And to tell the truth, it was quite nice: he sat down, on the edge, while Raquel had settled in Indian style against the backrest. She hadn't let go of his hand, may be out of fear. She needed physical contact with him to reassure herself. She was playing with his fingers and Sergio's thumb was tenderly caressing her hand. 

"So you went to see my grandfather?" Raquel started. She kept playing with his fingers. 

"Yes. He apologized. He told me you had a serious conversation in which he finally opened his eyes," said Sergio, continuing to caress her hand, he felt she needed reassurance. 

"I told him how disappointed I was with his behavior and that he should never have acted like that with you" Sergio nodded understandingly. "But above all I should apologize to you," she looked up and looked into his brown eyes "It's hard for me to go against my grandfather. When my father left, my mother was devastated, and even though she was always there for us, it was still difficult. She lost the love of her life. Juan took over and was always there for us, at all times" Sergio continued to listen to her without daring to interrupt. "When I told him I was leaving for Barcelona, he was very disappointed. I would have preferred him to shout at me, but he looked at me silently, and he was so disappointed... I had disappointed him, because he expected something else from me. Staying home, taking over my family business.." This time Raquel turned her gaze back to their bound fingers. 

"I was so angry at him of course, and at you too. You didn't say anything, and even though it's stupid, I thought for a moment, for you, he wasn't wrong." 

Raquel looked up at him furiously and cried out:

"Sergio! Of course I don't think that about you!" 

"I know... but seeing you not react hurt me" Sergio had to be honest and Raquel looked at him with tears in her eyes and understood his point of view. She was still angry with her and was also disappointed with her lack of response. 

"But I understand why you didn't say anything, he's your grandfather, and with all he's done for you... But what hurt me the most was what you said on the phone afterward..." admitted Sergio, lowering his eyes. 

"I... I was... I was angry. You'd just left... I yelled at Juan... the meal ended catastrophically... Christmas was ruined... you told me you didn't want to come back... I was so hurt because I thought you'd abandoned me. So I wanted to hurt you." Raquel let a tear fall. "But I really blame myself Sergio, I should never have said that, and I don't mean it Sergio, I swear." Raquel continued to swear and finally several tears fell on their bound fingers. Sergio came closer and took her in his arms. Raquel responded immediately and hid her head in his neck, continuing to say how much she was sorry. 

He ran one hand through her hair and the other through her back, letting her cry and gradually calming herself down. 

"I know you didn't mean it Raquel," she looked up, but she stayed in his arms. 

"I'm sorry Sergio." 

"Your apology is accepted... especially since you said yes," said Sergio, trying to cheer her up. The mission was a success because she was now smiling broadly. 

"You fooled me on that one... I thought you didn't want to see me anymore, wanted to break up with me, since you didn't answer my messages, but in the end... "

"I asked you to marry me," he said, his smile was so big that his eyes disappeared a little. 

The two looked at each other, affectionately, with a smile on their lips. It was amazing how they understood each other in just one look. 

"I have one more thing" said Raquel. Sergio looked at her with questioning eyes. "What's the deal with Angel?" 

"He's in love with you," he simply said. 

"How do you know that?" she asked, almost embarrassed.

"Because he looks at you the same way I look at you."

Raquel lowered her eyes and Sergio waited for her to speak in turn.

"Back in our younger years, Angel always has a thing for me. I wasn't interested, I only saw him as a friend." 

"What happened?" asked Sergio. 

"One night, we had a bit too much to drink, he wanted to go further, he kissed me. But I soon came to my senses, I pushed him away. I guessed I broke his heart, and then he went out with Mari Carmen." 

Sergio understood and tried to guess what had happened after. 

"Do you think he dated your cousin to make you jealous?" 

"I'm sure he did, or at the beginning at least. And then... Mari fell in love... You know, he has this way of greeting me anytime I'm at home, of talking to me... It's unhealthy and so uncomfortable. Even though they're married and have kids, I'm sure if I told him to dump Mari for me, he would." 

"Well... You're right. He's totally into you" Raquel blushed and didn't know what to say. Sergio continued: "It can't be easy for you... for Mari Carmen... it's an atypical situation" said Sergio with a sad smile. 

"Yes, you can say that..." 

After a silence, Sergio laughed and said: "My future wife has so many suitors..." Raquel gave him a nice slap on the shoulder. 

"So... are we good now?" she asked, continuing to play with his fingers. 

"Yes.. we are" agreed Sergio. 

She blew with happiness, and reached out her arms so that Sergio could dive in, which he did without hesitation.  
They stayed in each other's arms for a long time, until Sergio lay down between her legs. Back to chest, Raquel had pressed her head against his, while Sergio's hands were still into hers and he played gently with her finger and her ring. 

"It meant a lot to me when you proposed with your mother's ring," she said, kissing the top of his head, and put her chin on it. 

"Andres told me that our mother had told him that the ring was ours, but we had to use it for a very special woman," he said, turning slightly and watching her reaction. She smiled at him and Sergio saw that she was touched.

"When I showed the ring to your mother, she jumped into my arms and she cried," said Sergio with a smile. 

Raquel laughed and said she wasn't very surprised, Marivi loved Sergio. 

"She wouldn't be my mother, I'd be jealous" they laughed.

A calm silence settled in. Raquel had her nose buried in his dark curly hair again, Sergio continued to play with her ring. 

"That's why you were so stressed before meeting Juan... you wanted to ask my grandfather for my hand," Raquel remarked. 

"You're the woman of my life, that's not so surprising" he replied calmly. Every time he said a thing like that, Raquel's heart was missing a beat, she would never get used to it. And yet, she would have to, they had planned to spend their life together. 

"The surprise you did for me... even though I don't think I deserve it after what I did and above all said... it was wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better proposal. I love you, Sergio." 

He gently turned his arms around and moved his head forward from her own, supporting her gaze. 

"We all make mistakes, and I already told you, we're good, okay? Don't blame yourself any more mi amor. You have my ring on your finger and I love you"

And they kissed. Firstly, tenderly and delicately. And then, hard. Tongues dancing wildly, they didn't need to breathe anymore. They were each other's oxygen. Hands in each other's hair, running through their bodies... Things quickly got out of control, Raquel had migrated to his lap. Sergio then stood up, still Raquel in his arms, her legs quickly went around his waist, and he led her, now with one arm under her buttocks and the other in her neck guiding her head towards his mouth.

Even though no one was due home until early the next day, Sergio preferred to take Raquel to their room.  
Once the door was closed behind them, Sergio, still holding Raquel, took her directly to the bed, gently laying her down.  
She didn't take her legs off his hips, wanted to keep him as close as possible to her, and gently she took his face in her hands. With the light off, only the reflection of the moon illuminated her ring and his face. She passed her hands tenderly through his beard and said: 

"I love you Sergio" 

Moved, he gently closed his eyes and opened them again, a smile illuminating his face. He bent down and they took up their burning kisses again. 

She could feel him hardening under his pants and herself getting wet. Sergio grabbed the fold of her dress, took it off, and his thumb began to hit the line between her outer lips and the fabric of her underwear. She pushed a moan into his mouth as they kissed, and as his thumb firmed up, she bent her back over him, her neck climbed up and her long hair fell out behind her.

Sergio bit her lower lip as he moved her underwear sideways with his fingers. His thumb began to caress her clitoris. He varied in pressure, direction and speed, his attention being synchronized with her breathing and moaning. As he began to make small circles around it, he increased the speed.

All of a sudden, he detached from her lips and slowly moved around the curve of her neck, paying great attention to her breasts, playing and biting her nipples, then moved to her stomach and finally arrived at his destination. Taking off slowly her underwear, he resumed the mad rush on her nervous spot, but this time with his tongue. With the tip of his finger, he played around her entrance and she began to move her waist under his touch. Sergio smiled and inserted his finger inside her. He continued exactly what he was doing, at the same speed, until her back arched and she let out a loud and exasperated moan. 

"Sergio," moaned Raquel, her back arched as she ended up falling heavily against the mattress. 

With her eyes closed, everything turns white behind her eyelids and she needed all her strength to remember how to breathe. She was vaguely aware that he was smiling against her now sensitive skin, proud of his exploit. She laughed at his reaction and how he always knew from the beginning how to make her feel so much. Eventually, her body relaxed, but her nerves were still weakened by the ecstasy. Raquel became aware of how she clang to the sheets with her left hand while the other was still tangled in Sergio's hair. 

"Damn it," she sighed, she felt Sergio moving and when she finally opened her eyes, he smiled at her from where he laid his chin on her lower abdomen. They smiled at each other. 

"Come here" she said, grabbing him and exchanging a long and sensual kiss. She could taste herself, and with his tongues and his adventuring hands, her arousal quickly came back again. 

She smiled gratefully and sat down to kiss him. She placed both hands on his chest to push him onto the mattress in turn, then she took off his shirt, which was only holding on with two or three buttons, his pants and underwear while giving him gentle kisses on his bare chest and thighs.

Raquel was happy to see that he was still hard and, with the help of one hand, she placed her tongue from the base of his bulge to its tip. He rolled his eyes back, closing them. She carefully rolled the skin of his penis and sucked out the swelling of it while her hand swung up and down. The combination of her mouth and hand made it all even more pleasurable for him.

"Raquel," he finally moaned after a few minutes, trying to hold her back. 

"Please," he begged, and she straddled him with her legs as she climbed up to kiss his lips. 

She leaned back against his bulge and rocked his waist. They wasted no time, and still looking at each other, she guided him slowly towards her entrance and he entered hard. Still looking at each other, she began to thrust painfully slowly into him. She wrapped her legs around him, and they continued this dance that only they could control. 

But it wasn't enough. 

After some delicious and slow agonizing moments, he reversed their position, pressed her against the mattress. When he began thrusting hard against her, his fingers once again on her clit, she started to moan.

"Y-yes," she muttered as he came closer and closer to her spot. She pleaded when he did and he obeyed, rocking himself against her and continuing to massage her clit until she clangs her nails on his back and hair, moaning louder and louder. She shrieked when she came to a haul and he followed her suit. They came, their members shivering and weakening until he fell on top of her, still inside her.

Once their breathing was restored, he withdrew and landed next to her. She automatically turned to him and put her head in the hollow of his shoulder. 

"We're really good at this," she said laughing as she couldn't feel her legs. 

He laughed at what she had just said, totally agreeing with her words. 

Barely rested, Sergio stood up on one elbow and looked at her tenderly. She was finally his, he was finally hers. He had waited so long for this moment, even thinking that everything was over after the Christmas episode, but they were here, in bed, savoring it over and over again.  
She passed one hand over his beard tenderly, and he grabbed her wrist. He delivered a multitude of kisses, always holding her gaze, until things got hotter and hotter between them. 

And they were off to round 2... 

A few hours later around midday... 

Her hair tickled his nose. Her fabulous smell filled him.  
Raquel was completely lying on top of him. She trapped him with her arms that were in his neck, and her legs that held him against the mattress. With her head in his neck, he could feel that her breathing was calm, a sign that she was still perfectly asleep. 

Not resisting, he gently passed his fingertips along her spine, while with the other hand, he stroked her hair tenderly.  
He felt shivers where his fingers went. She moved somewhat and settled even more comfortably against him. Sergio smiled and decided to caress her even more tenderly: along her waist, behind her thighs... as tenderly and lovingly as ever. 

He heard her moaning, and Sergio easily guessed that she was beginning to wake up but wished to continue this moment of tenderness. So he gladly continued.  
After a while, he felt that she was putting tender kisses on his neck, gently biting his skin, sucking him, then gently sticking her tongue out and kissing him again. She settled even more comfortably, rubbing their already wide awake intimacy. 

"How good it feels to be awake like this," Raquel mumbled against his neck.

"Your wake-up call for the rest of your life," he whispered. 

He smiled and tenderly reversed their position. He found himself above her, still trapped by her arms and legs that refused to let go of him, for his greatest pleasure. 

"Hola mi amor" he simply said, lingering over her lips. 

"Hola cariňo" she responded, capturing his lips. 

"Did you sleep well?" he asked. 

"Hum.. I haven't slept much," she laughed. 

He blushed and approved again. They hadn't actually slept much... 

"It's good to wake up in your arms again, I truly missed you" she remarked as she snuggled even more against his skin. 

As they were about to start wanting to go further again, they were surprised by someone knocking hard at the door. 

"COME ON SERGIO I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE"

They stopped what they were doing, Sergio looked frozen on the spot.  
He apologized to Raquel with a look, and he stood up. He took his pants straight off the floor and Raquel wrapped herself in the sheets.  
Sergio went to the door while pulling up his fly and opened it. 

"Hermanito... I see the reunion was warmly celebrated..." Andres remarked with a big smile and pointed to the marks on his brother's neck.

Sergio blushed and Andres made a small hand movement to greeting Raquel who was wrapped in the sheets. She replied with a smile, as embarrassed as Sergio. 

"Anyway, despite we were looking for you and Silene sent a message telling me you had kidnapped your lady, I figured out you were there... You're not probably aware as you're still in your love bubble, but we have a wedding to attend to, my dear lovers" he said, leaning on the doorframe. 

Sergio and Raquel looked alarmed, they had completely forgotten! 

"Marivi has just arrived with Monica's mother and Agustin, you just have time for a coffee and leave to join the girls at the hotel" said Andres to Raquel, "and as for you, Daniel is very stressed, we need help" said Andres to Sergio this time. 

Sergio and Raquel thanked him and Sergio said: 

"We'll meet you downstairs in a few minutes" and he was about to close the door as Andres exclaimed: 

"Yeah well hurry up, you're not going back for another round of wild sex-" and the door slammed behind him. 

Sergio approached the bed and sat down facing Raquel. She passed her hand tenderly around his neck and then on his chest. 

"We've completely forgotten our friends' wedding... we're horrible," she said. 

"Let's just say we celebrated their happiness in our own way" he said, attacking her neck with laughter.

A few moments later, Raquel and Sergio arrived and saw chaos in the living room. Her mother and Monica's mother were waiting impatiently for her near the door. Anibal and Agustin tried to calm Daniel while Martin and Andres sat quietly, unaware of the mess around them. A big hangover was on the men's faces, even though Daniel was under too much stress. 

"Oh Sergio you're here!!!!" said Daniel as he approached them and threw himself in his arms under a slightly shocked Sergio. He gently tapped his back as Daniel mumbled incomprehensible things against his shirt. He looked at her alarmed, and she shrugged her shoulders. Raquel went for a quick cup of coffee as she greeted everyone on her way.

She drank quickly and walked towards the two women. 

"Ready?" she asked, putting on her coat. 

"I have to remind you, young woman, if you wouldn't have flown away with your future husband, Monica wouldn't be panicking in your hotel room right now," Marivi gently scolded. 

Raquel blushed at her mother's words and they decided not to waste any more time. She went to greet Sergio for the last time, and this time, he was comforting Anibal, what for?, she thought, she didn't understand what was going on in those men's minds sometimes.. 

"See you later?" he said, removing her hair on top of her coat. 

"Promise?" she said, kissing him gently. 

"Promise," he sweetly replied. 

"Here we go again..." laughed Martin before the tender kiss that the two exchanged. They parted and blushed. 

"We just met again, have some mercy," said Raquel. 

"You've had all night to find each other, no mercy anymore" Andres remarked. 

Everybody laughed and Raquel, Monica and Marivi's mother, left for the hotel, where Monica was indeed stressed too. 

The three women arrived quickly at the hotel.  
As soon as the door opened, Monica threw herself into her mother's arms. Raquel noticed the mess they were in. Agata was putting make-up on and her hair was done. Marivi exclaimed: 

"Ladies, I've found our fugitive." Everyone laughed. Raquel didn't look at all guilty. 

"Luckily you left us a message, we were worried," said Alicia as she walked around almost naked, half her face covered with make-up but her hair was done. 

"I explained to them that they didn't have to worry because I had left you in very good hands," Silene said as she came out of the bathroom, she was the only one ready, make-up and hair done, she had even put on her dress. 

"And indeed, she can hardly stand upright," Agata laughed, remembering her words during their girl's night. 

Raquel looked at them with a look that meant everything, and everyone laughed. Monica walked away from her mother, took her friend in her arms, and directed her to the bathroom so that everyone could start to finish getting ready. 

For the next hour, the bridesmaids had prepared first, as had the two older women. Everyone was ready, except for the main person of the day, Monica.  
All the women had set about helping Monica with her hair, makeup, and especially her dress. So well within an hour of the meeting at the town hall, Monica was standing in front of her family, very proud and less stressed now they were all ready. Her mother was crying her eyes out, and everyone was moved. 

"So? What do you think?" Monica asked.

She couldn't understand what they were all saying, because they started complimenting her all at once. One thing is certain, Monica was beautiful. Her loose, curly blonde hair fell to her shoulders, her light make-up accentuated her eyes, her dress was perfect, she was magnificent.

"I swear Dani is going to have a heart attack" said Agata, very serious, which everyone agreed. 

Her mother had given her a beautiful bracelet from her family for the something old, the girls had given her a beautiful pair of earrings for something new. For something blue, Monica swore: "My lingerie set will do the job" and for something borrowed, Raquel gave her a discreet pin to attach two or three strands of her mane that escaped from her hairstyle. 

She was ready.

The girls left her with her mother; she was trying to reassure her, to tell her how proud she was of herself, and how happy she was that she had found the man of her life, and how happy she and Daniel were going to be together.  
Then, one by one, the girls had their moment with Monica, to tell her how happy and proud they were for her and for Daniel, and to show her all their support. 

And finally, as the hour approached, the girls guided Monica to the beautiful car rented for the occasion. 

As soon as Martin warned them that he was outside with the rented car for the event, the girls went out and helped Monica. 

Martin, elegant as ever in his costume, greeted the ladies while not forgetting to compliment them. So much so that in a few minutes the car arrived at the town hall square, where the guests had already arrived and were waiting for the famous lady of the day. The bridesmaids went out first, followed by Monica, to the applause of their friends and family, happy for the couple and ready to cry. Martin slipped away and went straight to the town hall where the groomsmen and especially Daniel were. 

Even though it wasn't part of the protocol, Monica wanted Daniel to wait for her; she wanted to enter her mother's arm. 

Once all the guests had greeted, the bridesmaids made their entrance in turn, and then Monica entered on her mother's arm. 

A few minutes earlier..

"SHE'S HERE DANI! SHE IS HERE" cried Martin as he ran in towards the men. 

"At least she hasn't changed her mind," laughed Andres, who gained a gentle slap in the back of the head from Agustin, laughing too. 

Daniel was pacing in front of the mayor, Anibal seemed to be as stressed as he was, and Sergio, Andres and Agustin were trying to reason with him. 

"She can always change her mind later," he said, biting his nails. 

"Well, son, stop stressing over nothing! This girl is head over heels with you so wait here, like this, take a deep breath and wait to please" said Agustin, taking him by the shoulders and placing him. He put a kiss on his cheek and told him how proud he was of him. This brought tears to Daniel's eyes. Anibal stood next to Daniel, followed by Sergio, then Martin and finally Andres. 

Then, the guests entered, greeted the men and made way for the bridesmaids. 

Alicia was the first, with a big smile on her face, greeting everyone. She sat down in front of the men and winked at everyone. Silene followed her shortly afterward, walking like a mannequin, walked up to Alicia and everyone was amazed at how disturbed Anibal was to see her like that. Agata was next, with the same smile as Alicia, she walked as if she was the woman of the day which made everyone smiled. She blew kisses to everyone, and all the guests laughed. Raquel was next. And Sergio's heart stopped. She was beyond beautiful. Sergio had no words to describe Raquel's beauty. Her eyes never left his. Their smile was meant for just the two of them. Sergio had tears in his eyes because he remembered that in a little while she would be wearing a white dress and would say yes to him. He couldn't wait to be at that moment. Then Raquel stood near Agata, even though they still looked at each other, and almost missed Monica's arrival. 

As soon as Monica stepped in, she cried. As soon as Daniel cried too. Which moved everyone. The girls cried, the groomsmen wanted to hide their emotion, but Anibal cried too, which made Silene cry more. Martin tried to hide his tears. Sergio had tears in his eyes, at least more than before.  
Andres tried to contain everyone, but he saw Agustin sniffing and wiping his eyes, so he let out a tear or two too.  
Daniel kissed his mother-in-law on the cheek and then took Monica in his arms. 

"Well... once everyone's recovered from their emotions, we can start," the mayor joked. 

And so it was done. The mayor began his speech. Andres and Martin thought back to their own ceremony; they held hands tenderly and looked at their friends so happily. Alicia and Agata exchanged explicit glances at each other, but above all they looked so happy for their friends too. Silene tried not to blush under the insistent gaze of Anibal, who was all smiling. His stress had disappeared: his best friend was getting married and the woman of his life seemed to be so troubled by all this... could she change her mind about marriage?  
Sergio and Raquel were staring at each other, almost devouring each other, and without the intervention of Andres and Martin with an elbow, the older one could see that his little brother could have joined his fiancée on the other side to kiss her and steal the spotlight from their friends.  
But what was most fun was certainly the brides-to-be: they couldn't take their hands off each other. They were practically in each other's arms, stealing kisses from time to time, so that Agustin, Agata and even Monica's mother had to intervene to tell them that it wasn't the right time yet. This made everyone laugh.  
But when the time came for them to exchange their vows and their wedding ring, Daniel and Monica did not hesitate and exchanged a passionate kiss to the applause of all their friends and family. They were finally married. 

After exchanging a lot of tender and passionate kisses, Monica and Daniel went out of the city hall. Everyone then met at the house in Toledo where the celebrations resumed. The newlyweds took the rented car and left directly, certainly enjoying their moment together, the guests followed them, so that the gang quickly found themselves alone in the middle of the square.  
As the discussion turned to the ceremony, Sergio approached Raquel. 

"You're gorgeous," he said, kissing her cheek. 

"You look really handsome too," she said, smiling and straightening his bow tie. 

In fact, all the groomsmen were all very elegant. They all wore the same suit, each one bringing a personal touch. Daniel's costume was black with a white shirt with a black tie. His groomsmen's suit was black too, with a white shirt and a black bow tie. Andres and Martin chose a checkered bow tie, Anibal and Sergio chose a suit pocket, Sergio's was red, which was the color of the bridesmaids' dresses (so Sergio and Raquel were indeed a great match) and Anibal's was white. 

He put his arm around her shoulder, trying to warm her up a little. Even though it wasn't cold, she was only wearing a dress in the middle of winter. He warmed her other arm by caressing her and she huddled against his chest. 

"Look at them! Don't worry, it's your turn soon," Silene said laughing. 

Both of them started to blush and decided it was time for them to join the party to avoid further trouble from their friends.  
Silene and Anibal left together, Andres and Martin took their car, accompanied by Agata, and Alicia decided to go with Sergio and Raquel.  
Everyone left in the direction of their car. 

"You could put your arm over my shoulder too, Raquel is not the only one who is cold," said Alicia and elbowed Sergio. Raquel laughed and Sergio put his arm over her shoulders too. 

"Happy?" said Sergio falsely annoyed. 

"Yeah. I don't know what you think Raquel by marrying him, he's not a gentleman," which made the two laughed. 

"You've got nerves" said Sergio laughing. 

"I love you too, cariňo" said Alicia, happy with her joke. 

They arrived near Sergio's car and Raquel said: 

"Do you want to be in front too? You seem very interested in staying close to my fiancee" she said, falsely angry. 

"Oh, don't be a pussy! I'm not going to steal him from you, everyone understood that he was all yours since you walked in" she said laughing and going up behind them. 

Raquel and Sergio looked at each other shaking their heads and laughing. Their friends were sometimes impossible to live with... but to their great delight too. How bored they would be without them! 

Later on... 

Everyone greeted the bride and groom in the reception hall in Toledo's house. To the applause of their friends and family, Daniel arrived with Monica in his arms, happier than ever. Their smile never ceased to exist. They were beautiful, they were in love, and what mattered. So much so that their party and their wedding meal reflected their love, their story, and what they would share together for the rest of their lives: full of love, laughter, and happiness. 

Apart from the fact that Daniel and Monica were exploring their mouths all evening, as if being married had changed everything, the meal was delicious. They had decided to serve it as a cold buffet and everyone could help themselves to whatever they liked, and everyone could enjoy the dance floor, or the tables to sit and chat.  
Agustin and his friends had outdone themselves; the meal was fabulous. What the father of the groom had particularly taken to heart: Maria, his wife and mother of Daniel, would have liked so much to see his son marry a wonderful woman like Monica. Being both in the restaurant business, he wanted to honor his wife by surpassing himself with the task he had been given and proudly accepted. His son's wedding dinner had been a success and he was extremely proud of it. 

The couple's first dance as a married couple was very moving. They were in each other's arms, without a space between them. All the guests had surrounded them, very moved too. Sergio had taken Raquel in his arms, back to chest, hands tied facing them. Raquel moved gently to the rhythm of the tender music, happy tears running down her face. Sergio swore that Monica and Daniel, who had their heads on each other's necks, were exchanging sweet words and were both crying. And Sergio, even though he was more than happy for his friends, felt a twinge in his heart. He kept thinking that without his accident, without that stupid event, those two would have been married a long time ago... And as if Raquel sensed the sudden change of mood of her fiancé, she brought their hands tied to her mouth and kissed the back of his hand tenderly, keeping it close to her heart, as if she sensed she had to comfort him. Sergio squeezed her embrace, grateful for having her by his sides, tenderly kissed the top of her head, and rest his head on hers, watching the couple.

The music gradually stopped, the couple kissed softly, until Agata jumped on them, shouting "It's time to paaaaaarty!!" After the couple's first dance, it was the green light for everyone to finally celebrate the long-awaited wedding. The couple laughed at Agata's behavior and everyone started to dance with them. 

Everyone? 

No. 

Sergio had slipped quietly out of the room with a bottle in his hand. There was no way he could dance without an ounce of alcohol in his system. He was far too shy and a poor dancer to start dancing while being sober in front of so many people. 

Monica danced with "everyone": Agustin, her girls, her husband, her friends, her family, her nephews and nieces, her mother... She had danced so well that at the end of the evening her legs were very, very sore. The day before, she had enjoyed her bachelorette party very much and thought that she would need the massage that the girls had offered her the day before. She was now at the bride and groom's table, chatting with some friends. Raquel was next to her, Monica's feet on Daniel's legs as he tenderly massaging them; he was getting acquainted with his wife's friends while still paying very attention to her sore feet. 

Marivi, Monica's mother, Agustin and his friends were a little further away, talking about their children; they had all found each other, and the gang must have been very happy to see friendships beyond their group of friends. But as the evening dragged on, the older ones began to leave for some, or go to sleep for others. It wasn't particularly late at night, actually quite the contrary, but they were very tired and decided to share a last cup of coffee before going to bed. 

Andres and Martin hadn't lost a single second and had danced with Marivi – they were very fond of this woman, since Martin had reserved his first dance for her anyway, to the delight of the older one, Monica's mother also had the right to the couple's footwork... They were very keen to get to know the couple's entourage and, as hosts, they had been perfect from the beginning to the end. Everyone got on well with everyone, chatting, laughing... the atmosphere was more than perfect. 

Silene and Anibal had danced very sensually together at first, certainly to eliminate the tension that had built up since the ceremony, then, had slipped away for a while, and when they came back, they mingled with the crowd, and did as the others did: eat, dance and talk with everyone. 

Raquel's cousins had stayed for the wedding and had integrated very well into the group. Lucas had spent a good part of the evening with Andres, the two of them had found each other. Yashin and Roberto had spent the evening with Alicia and Agata, as if they had known each other forever. Raquel had loved seeing them like that, her family loved her friends, what more could she ask for? 

Silene had joined them at the bride and groom's table, curious about something. She sat down next to one of Monica's friends and said: 

"It's almost 11 pm, and I haven't seen Sergio, Alicia and Agata since your dance..." she said over a drink. 

Everyone turned to Raquel, who was also starting to wonder. She began to remember the events since their arrival: Monica and Daniel's dance, their embrace, the moment he decided to leave the dance floor. She remembered that she saw him from afar several times talking with guests, family members, and even at one point with Andres and Martin when they weren't dancing, which were very rare by the way, but he was only a gust of wind. She actually hadn't properly seen her fiancée since he had slipped away from the dance. She understood him, he wasn't comfortable in this kind of moment, and actually no one was angry with him. They were all aware of his shyness and his tendency to not be able to coordinate his moves during dancing times. But as for the redhead and the brunette, she hadn't seen them for a long time too, just like her cousins actually.

Seeing the worry on their friends' faces, Andres and Martin, who were still dancing as if the dance floor belonged to them, approached: 

"Why so much trouble on your ugly faces? Life is beautiful children, enjoy it" exclaimed Martin, still dancing in front of them. 

"Especially on your face, hermanita," Andres said to Silene, ruffling her hair and kissing her head, as she was laughing. 

"We haven't seen Sergio and the two troublemakers," informed Monica.

"And my cousins," Raquel recalled. 

Lucia, one of Monica's friends, approached the table: "If you're looking for the good-looking guy and two bearded bear men carrying two women on their back, you should look outside." 

Raquel looked at her twice when she said, "good-looking guy" but she was much more troubled by what she had just said. 

Everyone approached the large windows and watched what was going on outside. Most shouted and some laughed loudly. 

Raquel approached the window, Monica, Daniel and Silene behind her, Lucas, Andres and Martin went straight outside to join the troop. 

It was a real carnage: too many crazy things were happening at the same time! 

A few moments earlier... 

Sergio, bottle in hand, had taken a deckchair, dragged it next to a tree and sat down. He looked at the bottle thoughtfully: it was totally absurd. He was such a bad dancer, so shy, so ashamed of his poor dancing skills, that it had come to this. 

"Well, what are you doing here all by yourself, Profe?" he recognized Agata. She came up and sat down beside him. 

"I'm so incapable of putting one foot in front of the other that I've come to this point.. I'm just gonna take a couple of sips and that should do it" he said, pointing to the bottle. Agata  
burst out laughing and put a loving hand on his arm. He laughed a little and opened the neck of the bottle to take a long sip. 

"Oh my god you were serious," Agata wondered. 

Sergio looked at her almost dejected but laughing. 

"Well, I'll go with you then. What kind of friend am I if I let you do this alone?" she laughed. 

She took the bottle with her hands and took a sip as well. Agata had just finished when Alicia arrived with the twins. 

"You're here! We've been looking for you" she said as they all took place around the two. "What are you doing?" 

Agata handed her the bottle and explained: "Sergio wants to get drunk to dance, so we're all going to drink because we're great friends and we won't leave him alone in this so painful mission" 

Alicia quickly agreed and the twins laughed. And as the bottle quickly went round, the discussions went on and on. The twins, already liked by Sergio and vice versa, were also very much appreciated by both women.

"And so now, I'm going to call you Helsinki and you Oslo, it suits you so well" said Agata as she checked the bottle. It was, indeed, totally empty. 

Sergio decided to go to Andres' wine reserve in his cellar, accompanied by Oslo. 

"And you should come to visit us. With Raqy or even during a company trip! We would love to see you there" said Roberto as he was checking the impressing reserve of alcohol. "Is it really all your brother's?" asked Roberto. He was truly impressed by all the bottles. Some of them cost the price of a car. 

"Let's say he has luxury tastes and he loves good things" said Sergio as he took one bottle and examined it.  
Roberto agreed, and as Sergio opened the door to let him in, the bearded man didn't hesitate to take three more bottles.  
Sergio looked at him intrigued. Roberto replied, "You never know... we're real bears, we might need a lot of them"

A few moments later and two more empty bottles, Agata and Alicia were totally wasted so were the other men. Sergio had insisted on not drinking any more since he was already feeling light enough, but the girls and twins kept saying that it was his idea, and that as a future member of the Murillo's family, Sergio had to honor his promise. 

"You will be our cousin Sergio, officially. You said you wanted to drink. We followed you, even though you knew we were very resistant to alcohol. Now that we're a drunken bunch, you want to abandon us?" explained the newly-famed Helsinki. 

"You're part of the family, Sergio, respect that, por favor" replied Oslo. 

Agata and Alicia handed him a new bottle to uncork, and Sergio finally accepted it. So that, once the new bottle finished, Sergio was totally lying on the deckchair, he had put his glasses somewhere near him, and as he kept running his hands in his hair, his hair was very disheveled. Agata and Alicia were sitting on the floor on either side of the deckchair, and the twins were in front of them. The two women were exchanging their impressions and opinions of the three men's beards. 

"Look, even if Sergio's beard is beautiful, you can't say that Helsinki's is ugly, look at him! It is so soft" said Agata as she kept touching Yashin's beard. 

"I'm not saying Helsinki's is ugly, I'm just saying it might be too long, Oslo's is perfect. Not too long, and not short. On the other hand, Sergio, yours is too short compared to theirs. Maybe you should let it grow, or even shave it! I didn't see you without your beard, I might not recognize you" said Alicia as she now wondered. 

"Do you think I should shave? If I shave, I'll be 15 again..." Sergio said, lost in his thoughts. 

"Don't do it. It makes you look really handsome, and gives you a mysterious side, your beard is perfect as it is" said Yashin, and the girls agreed. 

"Either way, your tattoos are impressive," said Alicia looking at the men's arms. 

"Wait!!! You haven't see Yashin's bear!!" shouted Roberto. 

Yashin exclaimed and jumped out of his seat while the other three quickly straightened up and were interested in what was to follow. "YOU HAVE A BEAR", "WHERE DO YOU HAVE IT?" or "IT'S SO AWESOME". Yashin unbuttoned his shirt, to the happy screams of the two women and Sergio worried ones, who suddenly asked if he really wanted to see it. But Yashin dropped his shirt and they met a big bear's head all over Yashin's abdomen. The other three were shocked and literally under the spell of this huge tattoo. 

"Can I touch it?" Agata asked, totally obsessed with the animal. Yashin agreed. 

"That's so fucking awesome", replied Alicia who couldn't look away.

"I want a tattoo so bad now" said Sergio as his eyes were glued on his friend's abdomen. "But maybe not like that one. Do you think Raquel will like it?" 

Alicia and Agata quickly got up to show the others the tattoo they had made together, located in a part of the body that cannot be shown in public, but Sergio held them back at the right time. 

The children, who were running around them at that moment, had come closer to see the animal on the man's belly, so Yashin became the attraction of the few children present. The kids asked them questions, without suspecting at that moment the state of the adults. It was quite innocent and touching. The children sat down in front of Yashin and the adults explained what a tattoo was, how they were made...  
The children kept asking questions, truly interested in the two men's tattoos and finally, after a while, Alicia asked: 

"Why are you so interested in this anyway? Don't you have kids' things to do?" 

"It's boring here, there's no game" said one boy. 

"What would you like to play?" Agata asked.

"Football for example! We looked for it, but there's no ball", replied another one. 

"Create a ball then" simply said Sergio. 

"What?" said a boy who was puzzled at Sergio's response. 

"If you don't have a ball, make your own," he said obviously. 

"And how can we do that?" asked another girl. 

Sergio looked around them and found what he was looking for. He quickly got up and came back in front of the kids with his, Yashin's and Roberto's vests. He folded them and then, once created in a round shape, threw it to the children who caught it happily.  
Some kids left playing with the ball, but others stayed. 

"Are you coming to play with us?" asked one girl. 

The adults looked at each other, and without hesitation, agreed. But that was without counting on Sergio, who suddenly remembered why he had been there all along. 

"Oh no, I can't," he said, looking really sad. 

"Well, why can't you?" worried the little girl who held his hand and tried to pull him out to come and play with the others. 

"I have to learn how to dance," he said sheepishly. 

"We'll teach you! My friend and I, we learn how to dance since we are very very little, we can teach you some things" and Sergio let the two girls guide him. 

Back in Raquel's point of view, later on...

The first thing Raquel saw was her fiancé. She had to blink several times to see if she wasn't hallucinating. She was so amazed to see him like this, but especially in what state he was in: his hair that used to be in the right place was now all over the place, his glasses were gone and his suit jacket too. He was standing, sleeves rolled up, without his bow tie and some buttons of his shirts were undone, with two other little girls in front of him. It seems that the two little girls were teaching him to dance while "Let's Hear It for the Boy" was being heard. He was naively following the very feminine and childish movements of the two girls, and he seemed very serious about it... he was really into it. Raquel was of course laughing her head off, like everybody else, but also so touched by this scene. Seeing such a tall man imitated the movements of these two little girls… He seemed to be very involved in the girls' class, and the girls didn't hesitate to encourage him and give him advice, which he listened to attentively. 

Also, it looked like a football game had been organized with the few kids who were there. The nephews and nieces or little cousins of the bride and groom had decided to have a football game. It would also appear that it was the adults against the few children. Except that... her cousins carried the two women on their backs. Agata on Yashin and Alicia on Roberto. The ball was a composite of... the men's vest suits. 

It was crap. They were completely wasted. 

Andres and Martin approached jokingly, tapping Sergio's back gently, who was completely pleased to see them, and continued dancing with the girls. They exchanged a couple of words with him, which they didn't understand from where they were, and suddenly Andres and Martin got together with Sergio and danced too, following the movement of the two girls.  
Following the movement, the four adults who were still running in the garden with the kids, stopped and went to join the dance class, which the other children soon did too. Everyone danced; everyone laughed and applause had been heard then from the windows and the doors.  
The two girls were extremely happy in the end, pleased to see that they had attracted so many people, and above all very happy to have been able to help their "Uncle Sergio". 

The dance class broke up, some went back inside but Silene, Daniel, Monica and Raquel joined the gang outside. 

"Cariňo!" exclaimed Raquel, walking quickly towards her fiancé. He caught up with her on the fly and Raquel noticed right away that he wasn't indeed in his normal state.

"Mi amor!!!! Mi muuuujer!!!!" he exclaimed happily as he spun her around in the air. She burst out laughing, clinging to his neck and looked at her friends behind his shoulder a bit worried and asking for answers with her eyes as he was now peppering her neck with kisses. 

But, the newcomers noticed how Sergio was actually the soberest. The other four could barely stand. Alicia turned around looking up at the starry sky, her cousins were lying on the ground, Agata was laughing and trying to explain what was going on. 

"Dear god... what the hell did they do?" exclaimed Lucas, trying to understand what was going on. 

"Uncle Sergio wanted to learn how to dance, so we taught him. But Auntie Agata and Auntie Alicia kept saying afterward he had to drink a lot before to be very confident with his body," said one of the little girl as they passed by playing ball... well, with the ball made of clothes. 

"Andres? Has Sergio ever drunk so much in one evening?" Anibal asked, pointing to the ground where there were many dead corpses of empty bottles. 

Everyone looked at each other. They all had the answer. 

"Before being a real joy killer, Sergio just wanted to drink a little bit before partying... getting relax you know? And let's say we helped him," said Alicia dancing, repeating the previous girls' movements while she was humming the lyrics of the song. "We definitely helped him a lot" said Agata as they all saw as Sergio was now dancing with Raquel. She was trying to follow his moves, but she was so helpless in front of him and she laughed so much at his seriousness. 

"Oh I know that one," Sergio exclaimed as he heard Alicia's singing voice. He let go of Raquel, started humming the song and then danced in rhythm next to Alicia. 

"YOU GOT IT UNCLE SERGIO!! YOU'RE THE BEST" shouted the two girls across the garden. Everybody burst out laughing.

Raquel went to help Lucas, Andres and Martin who tried to reason with the two twins and led them to the reception hall. Everyone followed them, and Sergio, still happy to be able to properly dance, grab Monica by the waist and led her to the dance floor.  
Monica laughed and let Sergio lead her, dancing to some 80s music. And incredible or not, he was a good drunk dancer! As much as being sober, he couldn't ensure two moves without being out of rhythm, but when he was completely wasted, he managed damn well! Silene, Agata and Daniel joined them under the laughing eyes of their friends. He showed some master moves to Yashin, Roberto and Lucas on George Michael's songs, which bring everyone on the dance floor again.  
So much so that Sergio spent the next hours dancing, once with his sister, the other with Martin and Andres, sometimes with Agata, Anibal and Alicia, and even that he had danced a slow dance with Daniel which made everyone laughed. 

The hours passed, and although the atmosphere was still there, the children started to tire, so the parents started to come home. Some went home, others more drunk stayed overnight. So that towards the end of the night, after all the presents were put away, the tables a little cleared, all that was left was the gang far from wanting to sleep. Raquel's cousins, definitely adopted, were also present. She noticed how Yashin and Agata were fond of each other; she was certain of it, a beautiful friendship was born. 

As Sergio went to get himself a glass of water to drink, Van Morrison's first familiar notes were heard. He stopped immediately and turned around, desperately looking for Raquel. She, who had also heard it, watched him amuse as he was looking for her. He finally found her, and with a bright smile and loving eyes, he whispered, pointing right in front of him: "Come here". 

She laughed again at his behavior and walked over to him more than agree. He welcomed her with open arms where she took refuge happily. He closed his arms around her and Raquel circled his waist and rested her head against his heart. He kissed her hair and rocked them gently to the sound of their music. 

Sergio took her hand, spun her around to take her back in his arms again and sang the "Lalalala" just for Raquel. Even though he was still not quite sober yet, he drank a lot of water and put in a lot of physical effort, Raquel knew deeply how much he loved her, how true his feelings for her were, and especially how much he was going to regret having drunk so much the next morning....

Van Morrison finished his song and Sergio turned Raquel with his arms, back to his chest, his arms encircling her, and spoke to his friends:

"She said yes to me yesterday" 

"We know.. we were there with you, remember?" said Andres. He was sitting next to Martin, in his arms, enjoying a little peace. 

"She said yes and she loves me," he said, still so smiling, so happy. "You love me, right?" he asked, bending his head in front of her. Raquel laughed and put a tender hand against his cheek: "I do love you" she confirmed. His smile grew, as if it was possible, and looked back at his friends: "She loves me, she just said it again" He had mischievous eyes and seemed so happy at that time. Everyone was touched by him. Raquel first. 

After a few seconds, he said: "She has my mom's ring which means we are going to spend our life together" He continued to explain to his friends, still laughing at his childish behavior; "We are going to make a lot of babies and don't worry about us, we are very good at that", Raquel blushed violently and tried to hide her face as she heard her friends laughing out loud.

"He is so cute when he is drunk," said Silene, caressing Anibal's head. 

"So dumb too," said Martin laughing at him. 

"Have you recorded this? Because he certainly won't believe us" asked Silene. Anibal approved. Everything was on tape. 

Back to the couple, even though new music has begun, Sergio still trapped Raquel in his arms, singing softly to the song. 

"I love you" he sang to the music, while kissing her head. 

And she responded an "I love you too", still amused at his side of his drunk personality. 

A little later, as the sun started to show its nose, the gang almost sober, at least for Sergio, Alicia, Agata, Yashin and Roberto, the reception hall was pretty much tidy and clean, they were all sitting outside, enjoying the last moments of the evening in the cool freshness of the night. Daniel had Monica in his arms, Anibal had Silene's head on his lap, Andres and Martin were sitting side by side and exchanging caresses, Raquel's cousins were dozing on lounge chairs, Alicia and Agata were also in the arms of each other, and Sergio had Raquel sitting between his legs, shielding her from the cold.

"We didn't get your gift yet, you know" remarked Andres. 

"Come on guys, with everything you gave us tonight, we don't need-" Sergio cut off Daniel. 

"We have prepared a surprise for you"

"What?" asked Monica very surprised. 

"Sergio came up with the idea, and we followed him, "Anibal explained.

Monica and Daniel saw Martin and Andres get up to give them an envelope. Under the impatient eyes of their friends, the married couple quickly understood what it was about.

"Your honeymoon. We paid for it. Everything. One month in France. 2 weeks in Paris, and 2 weeks in the countryside. Everything is planned, you don't have to worry about a single thing. You leave tomorrow evening. Or tonight if you prefer" explained both Andres and Silene.

Monica and Daniel didn't know what to say and stood speechless for a long time, tears in their eyes. After a few seconds of silence, they got up and went to thank their friends very warmly.

With the expense of the wedding, the fact that they wanted to move to a bigger house to accommodate their future family as they planned to have children, Monica and Daniel hadn't planned on having their honeymoon right away. They wanted to save their money for their future. With this gift, the couple was very surprised and didn't know what to say, apart from thanking them who quickly became more than friends, a real family.

Raquel watched Daniel and Monica kiss again, they still didn't believe they were really going to be leaving for Paris in a few hours. She felt a pair of arms delicately wrapped around her waist, a warm body clinging to her back, a beard tickling her cheek, and finally lips delicately coming to rest near her ear.

"Soon it will be us mi amor"

"Promised?" she gently turned her head to face him.

"Promised" he nodded, placing a tender kiss on her lips.

Soon it will be them.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi :)) 
> 
> I hadn't planned to come back so soon... but... all your messages have motivated me so much that finally... Here is the first one shot !! 
> 
> I'm very proud of this one, tell me what you think? 
> 
> Thank you again for your support, and I hope to come back soon for the next one shot... 
> 
> Thanks again and enjoy the reading :)

February was here, and Raquel couldn't be happier. To be happy was an understatement by the way. She was over the moon. Everything in her life was perfect. And the shining ring on her fourth finger on her left hand was always a good reminder.

Monica and Daniel had returned a few days ago from their honeymoon trip. So much so that a big reunion party had been arranged. They told everything in detail, their days in Paris, the museums, the restaurants, the food, their difficulties in understanding the language and the French people, the hotels, the places they visited "where I only saw postcards" according to Daniel. The newlyweds never stopped thanking their friends. They couldn't have asked for more. 

Raquel had taken Monica's place at work during her absence trying to take care of her patients and Meite had given her a very big hand with administrative paperwork and accounting. But... it wasn't enough. Once, Sergio came home after work one night while she hadn't left the office. With the late hour approaching and worried that why she wouldn't make it home, Sergio decided to check in on her at work. He arrived and found her pulling her hair. "I always sucked at maths" she had said. And finally, when he helped her with her calculations, she was relieved to see that he had indeed come fortunately because everything she had done was wrong. It was time for Monica to get back. 

Speaking of Sergio, everything between the soon-to-be married couple was perfect. It seemed that their trouble during the Christmas episode reinforced even more their feelings and so their relationship. And of course, the proposal had spiced up their relationship even more, both emotionally and physically. This new step in a relationship was exciting, electrifying and most of all highly anticipated. They were in love, madly in love with each other. When you find your soul mate at almost 40, when you experience love at first sight at almost 40, the feeling of happiness that both of them felt was incredibly strong. They felt as if they were invincible, as if when they were both together, nothing could stop them. And this new stage in their relationship was very, very celebrated. It was as if they couldn't hold each other, they couldn't keep their hands off each other, taking advantage of every moment to share a maximum of intimacy and love, all the time. Sometimes in each other's office at lunchtime, sometimes in the evening too when one came to pick up the other, often in the car out of sight, once at Andres's and Martin's spare room but they were not proud of it as they almost got caught, in the toilets of a restaurant, even once at the cinema when they had been alone, and of course everywhere in their apartment. Every nook and cranny of their home had been baptized, as if they had to celebrate this new stage by any means necessary. It wasn't just about sex, it was about being in total connection with their loved one, being as close as possible to them, wanting to enjoy every moment they were given. It was making love. And they were deeply, madly in love with each other. 

But, has this new stage been celebrated too much? 

As a new week began and Sergio had insisted on dropping Raquel off at the office on Monday morning because "I'm picking you up tonight for our restaurant, it will save us time and spending a day away from you is too hard to handle" to which he had earned a long and languid kiss because "you're way too cute and you're mine". After a lot of struggles to be separated for a day, Sergio waited for Raquel to be in her office for leaving. But, as soon as Raquel stepped into her office, she felt as if something was wrong. She firstly dropped her bag and then her coat and went to push open the window when she saw Monica.  
Indeed, on her couch, usually reserved for her patients, she saw her friend, or at least first her blond mane, curled up in tears.

At first she cried out in surprise, not expecting to see her at all, but shouting out with concern as soon as she saw her friend's condition. "MONICA!!!!" She quickly approached her and put a hand on her shoulder. 

"Monica... what's going on, honey?" she said, sitting beside her as her friend sniffed... Her best friend wasn't well. And it broke her heart. 

"I was waiting for you Raquel... did I scare you?" she said as her eyes were all red, she looked like she hadn't slept all night and big black circles adorned her beautiful eyes. 

“You do scare me Monica, even more now I'm looking at your face.. why are you crying? Why are you like that? What did happen?” said Raquel while she wiping off her friend's tears with her thumbs. 

“I.. I.. don't know what to do Raquel” Monica said as she dived into her friend's arms. 

Raquel didn't know what to do too besides comforting her friend by saying soothing words and hugging her tight. She had one hair in her curly mane and the other was massaging her back.   
She wondered what could get her in such a state. She waited for Monica to calm down a little.

After a few minutes, Monica straightened up but remained in her friend's arms while Raquel handed her a handkerchief. She wiped her nose, cheeks and eyes and smiled faintly at Raquel. She looked so broken and sad, Raquel felt just as bad as she did now. 

"Now that you're a little prettier, are you going to tell me what's making you feel this way?" Raquel said, taking her hands and caressing the top. 

“I'm late” she simply said while other tears were strolling down her cheeks. 

Raquel didn't understand. Why did she say she was late while she was at the office before her?, she thought. 

“Monica, you were at here before me, you're not la-” Monica cut her off. 

“I'm late, late” she said pointing her abdomen with her eyes. 

Raquel followed her gaze and looked her in the eyes again. And she understood. Raquel mentally slapped the back of her head. She hadn't thought of that. But then, what was her problem? Monica and Daniel had already talked about having children together. And they'd just gotten married. What was wrong? Raquel wondered. 

"I'm two months late," Raquel opened her eyes wide. 

"Why did you wait so long?" Raquel asked, bewildered. 

"In France, I thought it was because of the change of air, the food.. you know? So I didn't worry so much. Now... it's been two months and I still have nothing. I've been throwing up every morning for a while now, I still want to eat fucking snails because of those fucking French who made me eat them, and my bras are starting to get too small." 

"Have you done a test?" Raquel asked. 

"Yes," Monica looked at her hands as more tears fell. Raquel risked asking for the result, maybe she was in this state because the test was negative and so she was sad, thought Raquel. 

"Positive," she said as the tears redoubled. 

Raquel had a big smile on her face and exclaimed with joy and took her friend in her arms. 

“It's wonderful Monica!! You're going to have a baby!!” said Raquel while having a sincere smile on her face. 

"Of course I'm happy" Monica dried her tears and smiled. 

"So what's wrong with that cariño?" Raquel said, continuing to smile as if she was the one having a baby.

"I don't know how Dani is going to react. We're looking for a house since our marriage, and the prices are way too high. This baby is probably a little too early in our life. He's stressed out about the money, he keeps saying he's never going to be able to support us properly. And you know how he's like." 

Raquel admitted that her best friend's husband had a bit of a macho streak. He liked to take care of the financial responsibilities, always saying that he was the man he should take care of it all... Raquel generally didn't like that side of a man, and fortunately for her, Sergio was not like that and was even the feminist type, but she could understand that Dani loved Monica so much that he wanted to give her the life he thought she deserved. 

"I was gonna say I'm sorry, Monica... but I can't. I can't say that. You're having a baby honey! A mini you and mini Dani running around, it's so beautiful! I'm so so happy for you" Raquel exclaimed, which made Monica laugh. They hugged each other tightly for long.

“You're right Raquel... but I don't know how to tell him” said Monica as she now lost her sad face and was replaced by happy tears and smile. 

“We will figure it out, ok? Now, go wash yourself a little, and we are getting back to work. Put your mind at ease, we're going to find something over lunch” said Raquel as she helped Monica getting up. 

“I don't know what I would have done without you.. I'm so lucky to have you by my sides” said Monica as she hugged Raquel one more time. 

“Made me his or her godmother and we're done” she said very seriously as Monica laughed hard. 

The two women, at lunchtime, thought and thought again about how to tell Daniel the good news. Finally, as the hour passed, they soon realized they were late. Raquel warned Sergio that he should cancel the reservation for tonight's restaurant, and that instead, she should ask him something... 

That night, Raquel came home a little later than usual. As soon as the door was opened, she was greeted with the good smell of what Sergio was preparing. She quickly left her things at the entrance and went directly to see her fiancé in the kitchen.   
She saw him, standing against the worktop, work clothes still on his back, an apron tied around his hips. 

"Hola mi amor, I've prepared you some-" and he was soon cut off in his tracks by Raquel, who had taken his face with her two hands and kissed him fiercely. 

"Not that I'm complaining about that kind of welcome, but what did I do to deserve it? You know.. for getting these kisses at all times.. " he said, gently caressing her face. 

Raquel stepped back but kept both hands around his neck. 

"I love to see you make me a nice meal when I come home in the evening, it's very sexy" Sergio blushed and Raquel smiled. 

“Well get changed, I'm hungry and I want to know about your something” he said as he kissed her. 

Raquel obeyed and came back not so long later and saw that the plates were waiting for her. She took place in front of Sergio, thanked him again and they started to eat what he has prepared.   
Firstly, they told each other about their day at work, but quickly went to the news. 

“So, what is so important for you to cancel our date?” asked Sergio. 

“Well... I don't know how to tell you that but-” Raquel was searching for her words. 

“Monica is pregnant right?” he cut her off and Raquel looked at him disbelief. 

“How do you know that?” she put her fork down on the table and watched him wiped his mouth and waited for him to speak. 

"I had lunch with Silene in Hanoi, and Dani joined us and told us about Monica... and especially how she behave since their wedding" 

"What exactly did he say to you?" 

"He told us that he surprised her being lost in thoughts for some time, that since their honeymoon, she wasn't the same, or at least not with him. Almost sad. That he caught her crying too. That she'd get out of bed in the morning and lock herself in the bathroom when she thought he was still sleeping, or that she didn't want him to touch her anymore."

Raquel looked down and began to feel bad for their friends. 

"What did he say then?" she asked. 

"We tried to reassure him, but you know him, once he has something on his mind... He thinks she regrets marrying him and wants to break-"

Raquel was surprised and cut it off: 

"Oh no no no no ! This is not good at all," said Raquel, holding her head in her hands. Sergio put a reassuring hand on her, and she said: 

"But what made you think Monica was pregnant?" 

"I've been noticing these changes for a while, I've had quite the idea. But I got the confirmation when she didn't have any booze on Friday at Hanoi"

Raquel looked at him in disbelief, she should have seen it too. 

“So, what happened then?” asked Sergio. 

“Monica was in my office this morning. She was crying, I never see her like that. And she told me she was scared of his reaction because she thought their baby may be coming too early as they were looking for a house, but they didn't have enough money saved” she explained to him. 

“This is no good at all” concluded Sergio as she was now playing with her food. She had this look on her face. And Sergio knew that look. 

“What do you want to do?” Raquel looked up and saw him smiling at her. He truly knew her. 

“I want to help them” she seemed very confident. 

“I deduced it, yeah... And how we will do that?” 

“Well.. I can reassure Monica while you could obviously do the same with Dani and helped him be more confident about his business” Sergio waited for explanations. “I thought about a thing...” 

And then she explained how she came up with this plan of hers: Sergio could reassure Daniel on his incomes by organizing a kind of partnership with Agata: the two of them could very well ensure a partnership between the gallery and the restaurant. Since Agata was having an opening almost once a week all the time, Daniel and Agustin could take care of the restoring, and even bring the most investors to Hanoi. This way, Daniel ensured a good reputation with artists, artist lovers and investors. 

"Well... I think this plan is perfect, Miss Murillo," he said, lovingly kissing the top of her hand. 

"Soon Mrs. Marquina, por favor" she said smiling, proud that he was as excited as she was to help their friends. 

They finished eating in a good mood and then cleared the table. When all of a sudden, Sergio blocked Raquel against the sink, kissing her languorously. After long minutes, he released her a little but still had his arms around her waist. 

"You're really, really smart Raquel... Monica and Daniel can be grateful to have you as a friend... I'm proud that you're going to be my wife" 

She stroked his beard tenderly and answered him: 

"Well Monica is my best friend... and without her I would never have known you, I would never have known the happiness and joy of loving and being loved, so it's the least I can do for them." 

And that was enough for Sergio to take her in his arms and go to their room all night long...

The very next day, Sergio and Raquel, with Agata's help, but without her knowing it, had set up the plan proudly named "Save the Baby". Sergio had talked about his sudden flash of genius to help Daniel. Since Sergio had worked with him during his years at university, he was in the best position to give advice or make suggestions, so Daniel was not too shocked or questioned about this suggestion. Agata agreed right away, she even said, "That's true, we had never thought about it". So Daniel had been very happy with what Sergio and Agata had proposed to him and was already seeing himself doing days and nights where Hanoi would be full of people. 

This little partnership between Hanoi and the gallery had so much occupied Daniel's now joyful spirit that he had somewhat forgotten his worries about Monica.   
Naturally, since he was happier, Monica was more confident and approaching the idea of having a baby more easily. She was just now waiting for the partnership to take his first effects before she broke the news. However... All their friends noticed one thing: her mood swings. They didn't know what to say to Monica without her crying, or shooting to anyone... She'd become quite... touchy. 

Three weeks had passed, and Monica had sworn it: she was sure she was starting to gain weight. Raquel kept reassuring her that she hadn't actually changed that much. Luckily Daniel was too busy to notice any change. 

Monica, Raquel and Sergio were waiting now for the right moment; when Daniel will be more comfortable with their situation.   
One lunchtime, when Sergio had brought food for the girls and they were all having lunch in Monica's office, Sergio and Raquel looked at each other in despair.   
Monica had at first refused to eat, she wanted to eat ... snails. Then, after opening the bags, had finally jumped on the food. She had barely finished her salad when she started her dessert.   
The silence disturbed her and finally she raised her nose at the chocolate pie she was eating. She looked at her only two friends who were in confidence of her condition, and finally wiped her mouth and put her dessert next to her. 

"Okay... I know what you're thinking." Sergio didn't say anything and Raquel looked at her friend. When she suddenly broke in tears. 

“Oh no no no Mon' please, don't cry” said Raquel as she rushed next to her. 

Sergio was alert as Raquel was comforting her friend. She passed her hands behind her back, while Monica had her head buried in her hands. 

"I... swear... this kid is ruining... my emotions," Monica said between sobs. 

Do you think so?, Sergio thought as she kept crying. Raquel continued to comfort her and finally, after a few minutes, Monica raised her head and wiped her cheeks and blew. She smiled, as if she hadn't just had a crying fit and took again her chocolate pie. Raquel and Sergio looked at each other, it was time, they thought. 

"I think you should tell Dani now, Monica." said Sergio and Monica looked up at him: 

"Do you think it's the right time?" she asked as she finished her pie. 

"Yeah... I think Dani is pretty confident now... and you won't be able to hide it for months," Sergio laughed as Raquel made big eyes at him and Monica looked at him weirdly. 

"What do you mean by that?" she said, looking quite threatening. But she didn't let him speak and continued: “Do you think I'm getting fat Sergio? Do you think I gained so much weight that suddenly I can't walk through the door? Do you think we need to change our office door because I'm becoming as big as a cow? Tell me Sergio, that's what you're saying?” she exclaimed as he was becoming more and more little in his chair. Raquel was trying to not laugh at what Monica was saying and above all at Sergio's worry and nervousness. 

“I'm just saying it's time to tell him the truth... that's it” quietly said Sergio, ashamed and guilty. 

She looked at him, for a long time, when she suddenly said: 

“Ok. You're right. But I'm going to eat your cookie”, she said as she gladly took his cookie. Raquel went back to her chair next to him and tenderly put a hand on his thigh. 

“I think I'm going to tell him this evening. I've already thought about how I'm going to announce him.. he will love it” she seemed very confident and it sufficed for the couple to believe her. But in any case, they won't try to contradict her now... 

All evening, Sergio and Raquel were waiting impatiently... for anything: a call of happiness from their friends most certainly... and certainly not a distress call from one of them, because that would mean that it went very badly.   
Finally, after long hours of waiting, Sergio received a FaceTime call from Dani, he didn't think twice about answering. 

"RAQUEEEEEEL!! DANI IS CALLING" cried Sergio as he was in the bedroom and her in the bathroom. She arrived with a towel wrapped around her hair and her night's clothes on and crashed down next to him on the bed. 

"SERGIO RAQUEL I'M GOING TO BE A DADDY" they saw Dani, crying, and a very emotional Monica in the background. He was running around, then he kissed Monica, kept crying... It was very very emotional for them too. He was truly happy, he kept thanking everyone and most certainly Monica who was hugged and kissed so many times. He also bent down next to the stomach of his wife and said, still crying: “there is our baby in there, say hello to him”.   
Then, Dani hung up saying he had to tell Agata and Alicia and cut the call off directly. He hadn't given Raquel or Sergio a moment to say anything as he was so excited to be a dad. Sergio found himself with his cell phone in his hands, a big smile on his face, and he turned to Raquel. 

"So... the operation “Save the Baby” is a great success," he said, leaving his cell phone on the bedside table. 

"We can say that, yes," she said, still stunned and so happy for their friends. 

"It was a great pleasure to team up with you, partner," he said, reaching out his hand. 

"The pleasure is greatly shared, future husband" she said, gently taking the hand that was reaching out to her. 

"Oh yes... greatly shared" he said as he drew her towards him and kissed her fiercely... The night was then short for them. Very short. 

The days went by and Monica grew as much as the love between her and Daniel grew stronger too. After this episode of uncertainty, they were more in love than ever before. Especially now that Daniel had found their perfect and lovely house, in a nice suburb of the city but not away for their jobs with 4 bedrooms, Hanoi was going better and better, and the two of them were always over the moon all the time. They were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their son – Daniel was so confident about getting a son and Monica suspected a bet was in the offing... The whole gang was in a hurry to welcome the new baby and actually the first of their group of friends. It was not even born yet that everyone wanted to buy it a little something, so the child already had its room and clothes for its first whole year. 

April was already here, and the girls, to celebrate the arrival of the warming days, had decided to go on a little outing among themselves, as they used to do. Shopping, lunch, shopping and more shopping. And now they had one more and very valid reason; to spoil their friends' baby. 

It was very difficult for Daniel to let Monica go. The baby was growing up fast. He was very protective and wanted her to do nothing, just take care of her and their child. But in the end, after much persuasion from her, he agreed, but on the condition that Monica would send him a text about her and their child at least every hour. 

On their side, Sergio and Raquel had exchanged very long and languid kisses: "It's Saturday... and you're leaving me here alone" he said, tenderly caressing her naked thighs. They were both in bed that very morning, cuddling tightly, just recovering from a very satisfying love-making session. 

"I know... but imagine what our reunion will look like," she said, tenderly kissing his chin and caressing his beard. 

"Then I'll be waiting for you here... all alone... by myself..." he said with his puppy dogs that he knew she couldn't resist. 

She thought he was so cute right now, looking so sad because he won't spend the day with her. He was so unhappy to spend the day away from her that she sent a message to the girls saying that she would probably be an hour late. Sergio then kissed her neck tenderly and let his hands wander where she liked them to wander. 

They were now at their favorite restaurant when they went on their days together. The five women were enjoying their Italian dishes, and the atmosphere was good, as always. The discussion revolved around Monica and her belly, which was getting bigger and bigger, because after all, she was due to give birth in two months. Silene had just asked how she felt about all this, pregnancy, childbirth... Then Agata and Alicia asked again how she had known she was pregnant before she had even taken the test. Under the tender gaze of her friends, Monica told again what Raquel already knew: 

"Well, we were in Paris. I had just gotten up, and I had received a message from my mother asking me how we were doing. I answered her, and without doing anything on purpose first, I saw the date". 

Raquel looked up from the plate, putting her chin on her hand and smiled tenderly at her. 

"It was January 3. And my brain decided to give me a little alert like "well, don't you have a cramp ache normally during those days?", since you know I can't stand my period" 

Raquel looked at her intrigued. Her period... at the beginning of the month... How long had it been since she had used a tampon? she wondered. 

"Afterward, I told myself that it was probably normal, with all the stress I'd just been through with the wedding, the preparations, your surprise honeymoon, being in Paris, the change of air, the change of food..., so I didn't bother more than that and I just kept on living as if nothing had happened" 

Raquel looked at her even more intrigued... living as if nothing had happened... 

"And then finally, another month had passed and still nothing, when we got back to Madrid, plus my breasts hurt a little and I felt so nauseous in morning." 

Raquel stopped breathing and was lost in her thoughts, staring at a point behind Monica, her mouth half-open. Raquel remembered her reaction in the morning: "Be careful Cariño, it hurts a little bit here" she had said when they saved water in a shower and he washed her as he used to do, or during their love-making session as he loved paid attention to her breasts... Raquel also remembered when she threw up 3 days in a row at the beginning of the week in the mornings, but blamed it on the new Chinese restaurant in which he took her. 

"So I did a test, and that was it, I was pregnant" Monica finished. They were all still amazed but hadn't seen the sincere smile on Raquel's lips, or her eyes shining with happiness, or the tears in her eyes that threatened to fall. 

The rest of the day passed quietly for Raquel. She was so lost in thought, making films about everything she had just realized. She didn't believe it, but yet all the indicators were there... The girls didn't pay much attention, putting her attitude on the fact that she probably missed Sergio since the two of them, anyway, were inseparable. It was Silene who said to her: "Go and join him, we won't blame you. Monica is tired, and I don't think that having a drink is a priority anymore..." she said, looking at Monica's belly, which makes everyone laugh. The girls nodded, Monica went home, and Silene, Agata and Alicia wanted to have a nightcap together. Raquel looked at them in turn, apologized again and again and decided to leave, not forgetting to buy a little something at the pharmacy before going home. She knew that Sergio would go to see his brother and Martin in the afternoon. It was 6 p.m., she had 2 hours maximum before he came home. 

Raquel greeted her friends affectionately, and quickly left for the nearest pharmacy. Arriving on the shelf, she was confronted with so many tests... I should have asked Monica which test she used, it would have saved me time, she thought. 

A young woman came up behind her and surprised her by asking if she needed any help. 

"As you can see, I'm looking for a pregnancy test.. and an effective one, please."

The young pharmacist smiled at her and showed her two brands that matched what she wanted, and Raquel decided to take both. The pharmacist looked at her intrigued, Raquel said: 

"I'd rather be sure" 

Raquel set off in the direction of their home, and climbed the steps as fast as she could. She opened the door, threw away her coat and bags of newly purchased clothes, and quickly went to the bathroom. She unpacked the first test, quickly read the instructions, and did what they told her to do. Then, she went to wash her hands, put the test on the sink rim, and waited. 

She had to wait five minutes. It was the longest five minutes of her life. She sat on the bathroom tile floor, facing the sink and waited for her cell phone's stopwatch to show the time. 

They had only talked about having children once. Only once. He had shown a lot of enthusiasm for having children with her. So why would he take it the wrong way? Would he be furious? Would he accept it? It's true they weren't very young, but they weren't old either. Having a child now would be so fantastic. All they had to do was be careful. They were getting married, they were healthy, and they were happy. There was no reason why Sergio wouldn't want to cross over that with her. But her brain kept saying, what if? 

The five minutes were up. 

She stood up, and dared to face... her fate? She looked at the test. Two lines. Oh, shit shit. What did it mean? She quickly looked at the instructions. 

Positive. 

She closed her eyes as much as the emotions she was feeling were strong. A tear slid down her cheek. She quickly wiped it off and decided to do the second one, just to be sure. 

So she did it again and waited again in front of the sink, sitting on the floor, but this time with the first test in her hands. Positive. A baby. Her and Sergio, parents. A little boy with his black hair and his lovely brown eyes. A little girl with his soft hair, his dimples and his lovely nose. This vision made her heart fall so much in love. As she tried to find out what their child looked like, the five minutes had long gone by. A lot of emotions came through her mind, she was shocked, stressed, she didn't know what to think, but most of all, she was happy. She stood up again and looked at the result. A cross this time. 

Positive. Again. 

She was pregnant. 

There was no more doubt. She immediately thought of making an appointment with a doctor to make sure everything was all right.   
Raquel got up, discreetly put the papers in the trash, and went into their bedroom. She looked at herself in the big mirror, and put her hand tenderly on her belly. A small being mixing the love of her life and she was growing inside her. What an incredible feeling... she couldn't believe it. Tears of joy ran down her cheeks, she was so happy. 

A little later... 

Sergio arrived home, put his coat on the coat rack and looked for his fiancée. 

"RAQUEL?? Are you home?" he asked as he traveled through the rooms of their apartment. 

"In the kitchen cariño" 

He came into the kitchen and went to kiss her as if he hadn't seen her for too long... and maybe because he felt as if he hadn't. He turned her over, put one hand on her waist, the other on her chin, and gently danced his lips on hers. He parted a little from her after a few long seconds and saw that Raquel still had her eyes closed. He caressed her cheek tenderly, she slowly opened her eyes and was greeted by a beautiful smile. 

"I missed you," he said simply. 

"I missed you too... a lot"

“Did you have fun with the girls?” he asked as he was checking what she cooking. 

“Of course as usual, and you?” she said while she showed him what he had to do to help her. He went to kiss her head, said that he had indeed, had a good time despite being away from her. He went to wash his hands. 

"I bet you've been robbing stores for the baby" Raquel's heart missed a beat when she heard him say "baby,", she still stunned. 

"You're so right. We've done nothing but talk about it." Sergio smiled at her and said: 

“It was the same at Andres'. Dani and Ani came to join us at one point, and he kept talking about his future son and everything he planned for him.. you know playing football, what haircut he will get, how he will definitely cherish Real over Barcelona... this kind of stuff” he said as he was now cutting vegetables. 

“Ohhh... it's so cute” she said, almost whispering. He stayed focus on his task and replied: 

“Yeah maybe... but I don't think like that” Raquel stopped what she was doing and sadly looked at him. A lot of thoughts came through her head.. maybe he didn't want to have children? That's why he said that? She was beginning to be anxious and very very stressed. Sergio didn't see her reaction and continued: 

“What I mean is he's planning all those things for his boy. Yes it's cute to see him already so devoted to the well-being of his unborn. But, you know, we kind of teased Dani a little bit about if his son didn't like football or anything. And even if he laughed, I know he'd be disappointed... See, if we ever have a kid, I'm gonna give him the choice to do what he wants. If my son wants to have long hair, fine. If he wants to wear makeup or a dress, fine. If he'd rather dance than play football, fine. I'll always support him, and I'll never force anything on him. I'll always defend him from the dangers of the outside world, but I'll never smother him either. I didn't have the chance to have a normal childhood, so I will give everything I have for him... Do you see what I mean?" said Sergio after his long tirade, finally looking up at his fiancée. 

But what he saw surprised him so much. Raquel was crying, big tears were streaming down her cheeks as she looked at him blankly. At this vision, he cut his finger and cried out in pain. His cry took Raquel out of her dreams, as Sergio's gaze alternated between her crying fiancé he didn't know for what reasons, and his bleeding finger. He didn't even feel the pain of the cut, he was obsessed with his fiancée's tears. She rushed next to him and compressed his finger in a towel as she was saying how much attention he could have paid. 

“Why are you crying?” he simply said. 

“You hurt yourself you dumbass!!” she said as she was looking at his cut finger. His blood was running down in the sink. 

“Raquel. I don't care about my finger. Tell me why are you crying.. please” she looked up and saw how pain in was not knowing what brung her into this state. 

Maybe she didn't plan to announce to him like that, but.. anyway, she thought. 

“Well.. let's say I must teach our child how to use a knife. I hope our baby doesn't inherit your clumsiness, as cute as it is” 

Sergio didn't understand. He lost his smile and looked at her incomprehensibly at first. But he saw all the hope Raquel had in her eyes, all the love in that very moment, her smile so big... tears in the corner of her eyes...

“Oh” he whispered. 

Then, little by little, his lips stretched and his smile became as big as hers, tears came to blur his vision, a great feeling of euphoria invaded all the fibers of his body... He felt as if he couldn't stand straight anymore and lean on the counter as Raquel was still looking at him expectedly. 

“Are you..?” he asked almost like a whisper, looking at her eyes then at her stomach. 

“Yes” she replied in the same tone. 

“Waouh” he whispered, his eyes locked on her. And, he replied the same thing, but louder and then it was as if he finally realized it. They were expecting a baby. They are going to be parents. He was going to be a daddy... He turned to her, and launched himself into her arms, enveloping her into a strong and tight embrace as his cheeks were now flooding with his tears. Raquel laughed, let her tears fall too and hugged him so tight. They stayed in each other arms for a long time. Then, Sergio stepped back, and took a deep breath. 

“We are going to be parents??” 

“Yes we are, cariňo” she said, tenderly stroking his cheeks. He was now giggling and took her again in his arms, and this time, he spun her around as she was clutching at his neck. 

“When did you discover it??? How??” he asked, putting her down. He kept touching her, her cheeks, her arms, her hands, her waist... he couldn't stop touching her and she was now so overwhelmed with so tenderness and emotions. 

“A few hours ago. Monica was telling again how she found out about her pregnancy, and I had a revelation” he was listening to her very attentively, “I couldn't remember the last time I had my period, I remember when I was throwing up lately, or when you touch my breasts and I feel a little bit hurt. So I did two tests. Positive. Both.”

“But, you're on birth control, right? How is that even possible?” he asked, much to himself, and Raquel was looking at him knowingly. Yes... she was right. Since the proposal, they hadn't been very careful about that matter. He blushed and laughed again, so happy. 

“My god... I'm so happy Raquel!! Thank you, thank you, thank you...” he said, as tears kept flooding on his cheeks. She wiped them with kisses and they hugged each other again, his head on her hair and her head nestled in his neck. 

That night, they were passionately embracing. Sergio had put his head on her belly and caressed it tenderly. Raquel's hands were immersed in his hair. 

“I want to be there for you, Raquel. I want to live every step of your pregnancy with you, and for you” 

“Claro” she simply said, as she continued to caress his hair. 

“This kid is going to be so spoiled Raquel” she laughed a little. “Our child, Raquel.. Can you believe it?” he said as he stood up in their bed. She straightened up. He put both hands in her head. He kissed her as he tried to convey all his love for her into this kiss. They parted a little and he placed his forehead against her own.

“I'm so happy Raquel. You're going to give me the chance to be a daddy... I'm not hiding the fact that I'm scared, but I know we're going to be wonderful parents. You're going to be a great mom”, she let a few tears fell and said.

“We are going to be together through this, cariño. I have faith in both of us as long we are together”, they hugged each other for another long time, then falling into their beds. They lay down, embracing each other without an ounce of free space between their two bodies. 

Sergio applied a last kiss to her hair as he saw that the emotions of the day weighed on her eyelids. He tenderly slipped a hand over her belly, tenderly caressing it again, while subconsciously Raquel placed her hand on his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next one shot will be about Raquel's pregnancy, how Raquel and Sergio manage all this change, the beginning of Marivi's health problems that will lead to.... Alberto's return to Raquel's life......... I'm sorry? 
> 
> Feel free to give ideas, I love it ;)


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody ! 
> 
> I hope you haven't forgotten me! 
> 
> It's been a little while since I've published, but like I said, I took my time to write this long one shot. And I think it's perfect! 
> 
> Life has been a little crazy for me, I had time to get a job, lose it, and get another one, but I managed to write this one shot and here it is! 
> 
> As always, I hope you'll like it and feel free to tell me what you think about it. 
> 
> Enjoy reading ;)

"I don't want to leave you" Sergio moaned as he huddled even more tightly against his fiancée's body. With his head in her neck, one hand on her belly a little bounced, Sergio held himself back with all his strength so as not to cry. 

"I assure you, I'm going to be fine, and Andres has promised you to come and see me every day so that he will always let you know when you won't be able to reach me," she said, stroking his hair. 

Although she appreciated the fact that he didn't want to leave her alone... he had to do his job. Unfortunately. Because she really appreciated all his tender gestures, his attentions, his love, even more now she announced that she was pregnant. 

"I don't want to be apart from you. You're pregnant, I'm not going to be there for you... Both of you" he said in a small voice. 

As soon as she had told him that they were going to be parents, that same evening, Sergio promised to always be at her side and help and support her as if he was the one who had a child growing inside him. He wanted to be with her in each and every step of her pregnancy. He had accompanied her to the first check-up ultrasound and their baby was perfect. It was growing up in very good conditions. They had been a bit worried about their age, but the obstetrician reassured them, they were not young, but they were not old either! All they had to do was be careful and everything would be fine.   
Sergio had been crying since they had been called by the nurse actually. He thought Raquel couldn't see him as he tried to hide his tears, but she saw him and was so moved. He had cried too when the doctor made the conventional talk when they sat down. He had cried even more when she had placed herself on the table. He had cried a lot when they saw the blurry image on the screen of their child. And even though Raquel had held back since she saw his tears, seeing the love of her life crying for their future child, the tears quickly flooded her cheeks too. 

Coming out of her obstetrician's office, they were messes. But very happy messes. So they went straight out to get the first clothes for their baby. Something not blue, but not pink either.  
When they got home, they had already planned to move into their future house that would home their future family. Sergio's place – and hers for a moment now, although quite spacious for both of them, would quickly be little to welcome their future child. Sergio already had a lot of ideas, and had already selected a few houses, so all she had to do was choose which one. Their choice had been a wonderful suburban house not far from where they already lived, not far from their friends' homes, near schools, and close to their work. A beautiful two-storey house, with a large courtyard, several bedrooms and bathrooms, a large kitchen and a living room. Certainly some work was planned, but they were ready to take this next and logical step together. 

The second move was to tell the news to their friends and family. 

Silene, Andres and Martin were the first, being Sergio's only family, it was normal that he announced to them first. So they invited the couple and Silene to come to dinner, and Raquel saw that Sergio was nervous but at the same time so happy to announce this wonderful news to his older brother. Sitting at the table, Raquel had put her hand on his thigh as he kept moving it. Sergio turned to her, sent her a beautiful smile and brought her hand to his mouth where he placed a kiss. 

"Well my lovebirds, what do you have to announce?" Andres asked, putting down his fork. Martin looked at them curiously, as if he suspected what was going on. 

"How do you know we want to tell you something?" said Raquel, without being able to stop smiling. 

"You both have a smile to dazzle us, you both look even more in love and happy than ever, while you just got engaged, so that's something" Martin began, "And Sergio, you're in such a hurry to tell us this thing that you've got mist on your glasses. And you don't stop moving, a sign that you're excited about this thing again too" Andres finished. 

"They are right. It's crazy how you look excited! What's going on? Tell us!!" Silene couldn't hold still and wanted to know as soon as possible too. 

Sergio and Raquel looked at each other, always with a big smile on their lips, and Raquel nodded to Sergio. He thanked her with his eyes and turned to the two men and Silene. 

"You're going to be uncles and aunt" he simply said, and had a big smile on his face. 

Raquel automatically saw their stunned reactions. Martin had stood up with joy and jumped directly into the arms of Sergio who had also stood up; an explosion of joy from the Italian. Silene had also rushed towards Sergio, kissed him very hard on the cheek and then took Raquel in her arms. Andres was stoic and did not move, eyes wide open. After Sergio and Martin separated, Martin moved towards Raquel and affectionately kissed her cheeks, whom he also congratulated. Silene had turned back to Sergio and he took her in her arms. Both of them moved towards their older brother. He shook his shoulder: 

"Hermano?" said Sergio who was becoming a little anxious.

Andres stood up, still in shock. 

"Are you going to be a father?" he said, tears in his eyes. 

"Yes, Andres. I'm going to be a father."

Andres stood up slowly and looked his brother in the eyes, completely stunned by the news. And very suddenly he shouted a cry of joy and jumped right into his arms. Raquel saw how moved Andres was as he didn't even hide his tears. 

The three of them talked all evening about how much they were going to spoil their niece or nephew, how much this little one was loved even before he or she was even born. 

Of course, Marivi was the second one to be informed that she will be a grandmother for the first time in a few months. The couple had waited until she was back in Madrid in Raquel's old flat to tell her. When they arrived with tea and cakes in the middle of the afternoon, they were so excited. Marivi was happy to see that her son-in-law and daughter were delighted to see her, but she saw the glow of happiness in her daughter's eyes. She knew that since she had shared her life with Sergio, Raquel had that sparkle of happiness all the time, as her daughter was finally happy with a man who deserved her. But this time it was a different kind of happiness. A brighter... maternal glow? Marivi saw herself in Raquel years earlier at Juan's arm... and she was so happy. Finally one of her daughters allowed her the happiness of being a grandma. 

She let them go inside anyway, and didn't let them see anything. She wanted to let them do the surprise. Both of them had settled down on the sofa and tried to pretend nothing had happened. 

How naive they are, Marivi thought. As if she wasn't going to guess what was going on. Just seeing Raquel, whose eyes gleamed with happiness, Sergio had one hand on her shoulder and the other tenderly placed on her belly, Raquel's hand on his. And above all the fact that they had announced that they were coming to see her, because usually they hardly said anything when they came to visit her. They have planned this visit and now, she knew why. 

She saw Raquel literally trembling so much that she wanted to tell her about their marvelous news, Sergio was no less. So Marivi sat down comfortably on the armchair, a cup of tea in her hand and decided to play a little bit with the couple in front of her. 

"Tea? Why not coffee? I've always seen you drink coffee, Raquel. You rarely drink tea, mi hija" 

Raquel smiled and Sergio moved uncomfortably in his place. 

"Well, how about tea? You know, it does a lot for the body, whereas coffee..." said Raquel. 

"Oh come on! Yes, tea is good... but coffee, kids, this is soooo good. You can't deny a good cup of coffee" exclaimed Marivi. 

Sergio and Raquel looked at each other, not knowing what to say. 

"Well, it doesn't matter, the important thing is that you are here. My friends and I are going on a trip with a tourism agency, we've been selected, and I've been waiting for this moment to bring out a good bottle of wine! We're going to open it together" said Marivi as she stood up, and Sergio and Raquel looked at each other in panic. 

"Oh well it's not worth it Marivi, don't waste your-" said Sergio as he stood up. 

"No Sergio, I want to celebrate this news with a good bottle, mi hija and my favorite son-in-law" said Marivi, pinching his cheek tenderly. 

Sergio turned slowly towards his fiancée who was holding back from laughing as Marivi returned with the famous bottle and glasses. The older woman laughed at their heads and uncorked the wine and served them.  
She offered them their drink, Sergio and Raquel looked at each other and as Marivi encouraged them to take it, always with a big smile, Raquel spoke up. 

"Mom... it's not that I don't want to have a toast, but-" Marivi cut it off. 

"You're pregnant, aren't you?!!!" exclaimed suddenly the future grandmother. 

Raquel nodded her head and intertwined her fingers with those of her future husband on her belly.   
Marivi shouted a cry of joy and immediately hugged the couple. With tears in her eyes, and once calmed down, Marivi demanded the whole story: from the discovery of Raquel, to how she told Sergio and what they had planned for their future. So much so that Marivi invited the couple to dinner in the evening so that they could go on and on talking about the future little Murillo girl who would come to make their days even happier, because yes, for Marivi it is a girl who will be born...

In the end, the rest of the gang were the next to know. Monica and Daniel were very happy, saying that they wouldn't be the only ones having a child, and their son would play with the daughter of their couple of best friends, and even certainly, married together, which Sergio had immediately become so pale.   
Monica had cried in her friend's arms and immediately exchanged experiences of being pregnant; Monica was approaching the end of her pregnancy and Raquel's was beginning. They had so much to confess to the other. While Daniel was in a real hurry to see their children get married: 

"My son will treat your daughter very well, Profe... Don't make that face! You look like you've seen a ghost" he said, laughing at his friend, which Sergio replied: "We'll talk about it later", trying to hide his burning emotions. 

Anibal was very happy for them too, happy to be an uncle again and eager to spoil his niece.   
Agata and Alicia had exploded with joy in the arms of Raquel and Sergio. They had already planned all the outings they would do like girls with the future daughter Murillo, and how the two of them would spoil her. All evening, everyone was trying to guess what their friends' future children would look like, but most importantly, they all agreed on one thing; Daniel and Monica were going to have a son and Sergio and Raquel were going to have a daughter. 

But... Were they right? 

For 2 weeks already, Raquel was starting to feel her baby move in her belly. 

The first time happened a little unconsciously. She was during a consultation in the late morning, sitting down she was listening attentively to her patient, one hand on her belly, the other holding her chin. When all of a sudden she felt a small blow against her hand. Almost unnoticeable. She had held back her explosion of joy and especially her tears, and tried as best she could to continue her session. But as soon as the patient left, she burst into tears and talked to her belly to get her baby to move again. 

Sergio had arrived and observed his fiancée talking to her belly: "Come on! Please do it again!!!!".

"Raquel... What's going on," he asked, amused to see her almost bent over and begging their child. 

"YOU'RE HERE !!!! Our Baby moved !!!! I felt it Sergio!" Raquel exclaimed. 

"No way!!!!!" he cried, dropping the bag of food and rushing towards her. He got down on his knees and put both hands on her belly, brought his head closer and begged their child to move again. 

They spent their entire lunch break trying to get it to move... but it seemed their child was either sleeping or already cranky. 

The second time, late at night, shortly afterward, the couple was in bed. Raquel was talking to the girl by messages and Sergio was reading a book, one hand holding his book, the other resting on her belly.   
Again, almost imperceptible. He felt a small blow. At first he thought it was his imagination, but after only 10 seconds he felt his child move against his palm again. Sergio put his book aside and stood up. He looked at Raquel who was looking at him with tears in her eyes, a smile so big. Sergio alternated his gaze between her and her belly and also left the tears flowing.   
He tried to speak, to say how happy he was at that moment, but Raquel understood that there were no words to express the happiness he felt right now. 

"Looks like she's saying hello to her daddy," she said, laughing and tenderly caressing Sergio's hair as he covered her belly with kisses. 

Since then, it was quite common for the baby to start moving at night, when Sergio would actually start talking to her. He was very receptive to her daddy's voice. So every time Raquel would meet up with Sergio at night and her baby would hear his voice, she would start to move. Their baby would also move when Raquel would meet up with herself and decide to talk to her.   
It was an indescribable feeling for Raquel: to feel her child move inside her bringing an even greater sense of closeness with her baby. She was so grateful and felt so lucky. 

To say that Sergio wasn't attentive to Raquel's need at every moment of the day was surely an underestimate. 

Sergio was there every hour of the day and the night, for anything and everything. Raquel was already very happy and lucky to be his fiancée, he was an incredible partner, loving, supported in every and each of her projects, trusted, who knew what to do and when, but now that she was pregnant and their child was growing inside her? He was so much better... even if it was hard to do better. 

When nausea had taken hold of her suddenly for a few days in the morning, he was the first one to get up and help her take her hair back as she vomited up their meal from the night before, even if he had spent hours the day before in front of a screen for his work.   
He was the one who took care of his future wife and pregnant child, who always took care as a master of his work in which he excelled, he was the one who supervised the work in the house they had bought. And normally they had to move in a few weeks before the arrival of their child.   
When her feet started to hurt, he was the first one to want to massage her feet at night in front of a good movie and before making popcorn for her.   
He was the first one to take her lunches when she didn't feel like going out during workdays. And it was always her favorite one. Monica was sometimes jealous of all the meals her friend had at her disposal, but Sergio quickly realized that he should never upset a pregnant woman and therefore quickly realized that he should at least bring her a dessert as well.  
When she had mood swings, even when she spoke badly to him or told him that it was his fault that she was in this state, he was extremely patient and comforted her all the time.   
He was so understanding when she came home in the evening exhausted from her day, when he even probably was the most tired one, always making her good food, good and healthy for her, and especially for their child.   
He was the first one to stop drinking at their friend's nights to support her during the long months ahead of her, and the first one to stop drinking coffee, or at least in front of her.   
He was the first to buy tons of books on fatherhood, motherhood, what to expect when you were going to be a parent. He wanted to be ready and above all perfect. He insisted to have his daily appointment with his child. Every night, before going to sleep, Sergio spent a lot of time talking to their child: whispering words she didn't catch, kissing her belly, caressing her. And of course, at night, Sergio always had his hand on her belly. And Raquel thought there was nothing more beautiful in her eyes. 

When she started to have a rounded belly, and therefore began to have insecurities about her appearance, Sergio was always the first to make her understand that their child was growing inside her and that it was completely normal, and that anyway, she was a radiant pregnant woman, and she was even more beautiful: 

"You will always be the most beautiful woman Raquel, you have an aura, you shine like a thousand lights. Maybe the fact that you are carrying my child confuses my judgment, but for me you are and always will be a splendid woman and I am extremely lucky to have you near me".

This always results in a very hot and intense sex session. Because Raquel's libido has been multiplied a hundred times since her pregnancy, and even if at first Sergio didn't complain, far from it, he was starting to get a bit tired, but God forbid, he will never complain about hearing the woman of his life say "I want you now" at any time of the day and the night. 

One lunchtime, Sergio thought he was going to die of shame, just like Raquel, after laughing herself to tears - and maybe she was even going to give birth sooner than expected, because that day, both of them suffered from Raquel's sex drive. 

He had arrived shortly after noon with their meal in hands straight from Hanoi, dressed as perfect and elegantly as ever for his meetings at work. He greeted Meité, as always, knocked gently at her door and waited for her to permit him. He had come in, ready to greet her, but as he walked through the door, she grabbed him by the tie and pulled him in, closing the door behind him. He quickly felt his fiancée's desk against his thighs and Raquel's body all against him. 

He hadn't understood what had happened to him. Nothing at all. The bags with their food were quickly torn away from him. She had savagely attacked him, jumping on his neck and devouring his lips. Not that he was complaining about her attitude, but he thought he had satisfied her sexually enough that morning. Apparently 2 orgasms in 20 minutes are not enough. 

"I want you. Since you left me this morning by the way. So hurry up and take off your clothes" she said, continuing her wild attacks. 

Why did she ask him to take off his clothes when she was taking perfect care of that task? 

He tried to respond to her kisses, her caresses... but it was impossible. It was as if she was all over him, in all places, all the time! His shirt had been taken off his trousers, and now she was attacking his belt. He, who loved to take his time and discover again and again the passions and every nook and cranny of her body, it was literally impossible at that moment. 

She unbuckled his belt and let his trousers fall down along his muscular legs. And as he went to continue kissing her and reversing their position for more comfort, she suddenly interrupted: 

"Sergio?" she said as she held her laugh. "What are those?" she said, pointing to his boxers. 

Sergio didn't have time to understand her question and she burst out laughing. She was literally crying with laughter. She was pointing at his boxer shorts and laughing. "But why did you put these on?", "My God, it can't be true!". 

Sergio didn't know whether he should laugh back at Raquel's reaction or take her reaction badly. 

They were interrupted by a knock on the door, and then Meite's voice, "Is everything all right in there?" 

Sergio had his eyes wide open, and Raquel laughed even more at his reaction: him tousled and with a bit of lipstick... everywhere, trousers on his ankles, his boxers, eyes wide open, and as red as a tomato.  
Her laughter doubled in intensity and she managed to make Meité understand that everything was fine. 

Faced with Raquel's incessant laughter, he decided to put his trousers and belt back on. 

"Cariño, por favor, it's nothing, I'm going to-" she tried to say as she was consistently cut by her laughs. 

"I am extremely embarrassed right now" he said, half offended, half amused. 

She had calmed down a little, and she was back to him again. With her hands on his broad shoulders, she stood up to him: 

"I didn't think I'd discover the boxer shorts I gave you when I started to undress you, that's all", she said, whipping her tears off her cheeks. 

"Well, you offered them to me, so I wear them..." he said as he walked away. 

"Cariño, don't be upset! I really want to make love with you.... and I love you.. even if you decide to wear Bugs Bunny boxers every day," she said, following him, trying to hide her laugh. 

One night, around 4am, when Raquel had just tired him to the bone, and even though he had had a long day at work, he felt little pats on his shoulder and whispered "Cariño?" right next to his ear in rehearsal. 

"Si?" He had asked without opening his eyes. 

"Are you sleeping?" Raquel asked naively. He opened one eye and saw her bent over him. 

"Yes, I'm having a wonderful dream in which a beautiful naked woman is in my bed," he said, closing his eyes and huddled even more under the blanket and bring her over his   
body. 

He heard Raquel giggled and settle more comfortably on his chest. He felt her hand tenderly caressing his chest hair, then over his stomach... lower and lower... 

"Mi amor... you are carrying my child, you are the woman of my life, I love you until we're both old and senile, but please, I have given you 3 orgasms tonight, I need sleep if you want some more this morning before work" 

He felt Raquel's smile against his chest and her hand wandering around even more. 

"I didn't want to ask you this first, but since you bring it up..." she said laughing. He laughed too and put a tender kiss on her hair. 

"I'm closing my eyes now and you should do the same," Sergio said, caressing her back and her belly tenderly. 

"I can't" she said simply. 

"Yes you can" he replied in the same tone. 

"I can't because I want to eat pickles with ice cream so bad" she replied by caressing his beard now. Even if he had closed his eyes, he knew she was making her puppy eyes, the one he couldn't resist, he can feel it in her voice damn it. 

Oh fuck, thought Sergio straight away. Pickles and ice cream? she'd never made that combination before. Pasta with jam, wanting to taste the snails to get what Monica was feeling... but pickles with ice cream? The thought of these foods together made Sergio nauseous. 

He quickly did the calculations in his head.   
They were out of pickles because she had finished the jar two days ago. He remembered when he came home that evening and saw her sitting on the kitchen counter, wearing nothing but his shirt on her back, legs crossed, the pickle jar in her hands. He had stopped at the entrance, looking at her with so many questions in his eyes. She simply replied: "Your child wants pickles, I'll give her pickles". After a short silence, he shrugged his shoulders with a smile and gave her a tender kiss. "You smell so much like pickle now..." he laughed, which earned him a nice pat on the shoulder. 

They did have ice cream... but what flavor did she want? If she had woken him... it was certainly for a flavor they didn't have. 

He sighed and started to get out of bed. Raquel let him out of her embrace and kissed him feverishly. 

"What flavor?" he said by searching on the floor his underwear. 

"Mint. You're the best cariño and I promise you when you come back, after I eat my pickles with mint ice cream, you're gonna have the best blow-" he cut her off. 

"Sleep until 6am Raquel, that's all I want" he said laughing, as he put on a jogging pant and a sweatshirt. He kissed her one last time and left the room. "I'll be right back"

What the fuck this woman makes me do... Sergio thought as he took his car keys. 

So, when Sergio got the confirmation that he had to go on a business trip with Silene for a contract presentation in Dublin, it was out of the question for him to leave Raquel, 5 months pregnant, all alone.   
Since his accident, he had always managed to escape his duties as head of the department, but now it was compromised. He had always found a way with Prieto, but this time it was impossible to say no. He was the one who represented the contract in the eyes of the Irish subsidiary, the one who had put this contract together from A to Z, with his team of course, but he was the representative. So he had no choice, he had to leave for 5 days. And he clearly didn't want to. He was already feeling lucky: he had to go away for longer at first, but Sergio managed to convince Prieto that Raquel's 5-month ultrasound was the day Sergio was in Ireland. He was finally able to negotiate and only leave for 5 days so he would be there for the ultrasound. He wouldn't miss the appointment to see their child for anything in the world. 

"I'm sure the time will go by extremely fast, and you'll be busy all the time with meetings etc etc, you'll be back soon," Raquel tried to comfort him by stroking his hair and shoulders. He was still laying against her, his face hidden in her neck, his arms tightly all around her waist. 

Sergio took a long time to answer her and said: "You sound like you're happy that I'm actually leaving"

Raquel pushed out big eyes and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Don't say that, you idiot. I'm trying to comfort you and reassure myself at the same time... I'm going to miss you so much," she said, kissing the top of his head. 

Sergio straightened up and stood up to her. He sat back in their bed, took both her hands and looked deeply into her eyes. 

"I'm going to miss you too mi amor, and our child even more. Promise me you'll keep me informed every day, how you are, how the baby is, if you need anything... I want to know everything, okay?" he said, his eyes watering. Raquel quickly understood how difficult it was for him to leave her and their child. But she was right, he will be back soon. 

"I promise you, cariño. Don't be so worried, everything will be all right. And I mean it, you'll be back in no time," she said, before succumbing to his warm embrace. 

The day of departure was somewhat complicated. 

Sergio stayed in bed with Raquel for a long time, literally unable to get away from her. Finally, with a message from Silene telling him that she was getting ready, it took all the courage in the world to go and get ready too. 

Raquel was strong in the sense that she didn't cry when she saw him put on his coat or pick up his luggage, but she couldn't hold back during their last long, tender kiss, and even more so when she accompanied him to the car. He was supposed to pick up Silene and then leave for the airport, and it was so hard for him. A last kiss on her lips and belly, and he got back in his car for good.   
She promised to call him twice a day and finally watched him leave. Of course she had seen him wipe his tears, which made her cry even more.

Andres was surprised to see his brother's car in his yard that morning, especially when he knew that his little brother and sister were due to leave for Dublin in a few hours.   
He didn't have time to ask him that Sergio entered his living room, greeted him quickly and said: 

"Please Andres, keep an eye on Raquel and my child.. for me."

Andres looked at him for a long time, Sergio looked so worried: "Of course Hermanito, I already promised you the other night when you came to dinner". 

"I know. But please, go see Raquel at least once a day, make sure she's ok."

It was the first time Andres saw Sergio so worried. If he had to be honest, he freaked him out a little, but he could understand why he was so worried; he was leaving his pregnant fiancée. 

"Hermanito, you can count on me. And I'm pretty sure Agata, Monica and Alicia have already planned a lot of girl nights during your leaving" he said, joking. But Sergio wasn't joking. 

"One more reason to make sure she's all right," he said, knowingly. "Take care of them, please? For me" said Sergio one last time as Silene grew impatient and honked the car. 

"I promise you Hermanito, I'll take care of your family" he said as he hugged him. 

"Gracias Andres" he said, quickly returning his embrace. 

Sergio's absence was extremely rapid, as Raquel had predicted. 

Both of them missed each other terribly, in the morning, at noon and especially in the evening they called each other and spent hours talking and telling each other about their day. Sergio was very worried about knowing she was alone by herself, with their child. Sergio's were busy with meetings with investors, engineers, directors, and Raquel's were busy at work during the day, with long discussions with Monica in the evening before going home. On the first evening, Agata and Alicia had come to spend the evening with her. On the second, she had been invited to eat at Daniel's and a very, very pregnant Monica's, where she met Anibal too. On the third evening, Andres and Martin had invited everyone to dinner and that evening she was very nostalgic when she saw her fiancé's empty armchair next to hers. On the fourth evening, Marivi had invited her to spend the time between mother and daughter. She noticed during that evening that her mother was in her own thoughts, forgetting certain details, they were small details but that generally Marivi would never have forgotten. Like the date of Raquel's next ultrasound. Raquel was a bit worried but Sergio was able to calm her down that evening by saying that Marivi was probably tired and she really needed to make this trip with her friends.   
So even though they missed each other like hell, the two fiancés spoke almost all the time, and between work and their friends, the time finally passed extremely quickly.   
For the last night, Silene had asked Raquel to make Sergio understand that he had to get out of his hotel room and enjoy his last night in Dublin with her, to which Sergio replied: "I already know the city, and I want to be awake for our reunion tomorrow". And although Raquel had found his behavior extremely flattering and adorable, he had to enjoy this time with his sister, and finally she had managed to convince him to go out for a drink to celebrate the success of their business trip. 

During those five days, Raquel had noticed her brother-in-law's strange behavior towards her. He always sent her messages at any time of the day, came to her home in the evening to find out how she was, to know if her niece was all right... However, at the end of the afternoon on her last day without Sergio, and after work, Andres came to her door again, knocking, coming and asking her if she was all right, and above all if the baby was doing well too. 

"Look, I know Sergio asked you to keep an eye on me, and as you can see, I'm fine. He's coming back tomorrow, there's no point anymore incoming like this, I'm fine Andres. And to tell the truth, I'm going to take some woman's time to welcome your brother tomorrow and thank him properly for being so sweet to me"

Andres blushed at what she was trying to make him understand: "He was very worried, and he loves you very much", he tried to justify their behaviors.

"I know that, believe me" they smiled at each other and Andres finally left Raquel's apartment after swearing he won't get back and will spend the night with his husband. 

Not so long after her brother-in-law's appearance, she heard once again a knock on her apartment door. And so, having prepared a bath, she walked to the door with a jogging and an old Sergio sweatshirt on her back, she exclaimed; 

"I swear Andres, if it's you again, I'll kick your ass out of here" she said, laughing and opening the door. But her laughter soon stopped and Raquel became very pale. She would so much like it to be Andres in front of her... 

After his last appointment of the afternoon, Sergio wasted no time and quickly packed his luggage and left for the airport. Silene grumbled a bit, telling him that they had the time and that their plane was not due to leave for 3 hours, but understood perfectly well that her brother just wanted to join his family. 

On the way to the airport, Sergio had sent a message to Raquel saying that he was leaving the hotel. No reply. He told her that he would be back around 2 or 3 in the morning, or even 4 if their plane was late. No reply again.   
By his fourth unanswered message, Sergio could no longer hide his concern. Why didn't she answer? They were sitting in the boarding hall and Raquel still hadn't answered him. He kept running his hand through his hair, walking along with the large windows... Silene, who was sitting next to him, said: 

"She's probably sleeping, pregnancy tires women out, you know". 

"I know, but she should have woken up by now, shouldn't she? I mean, it's time for dinner, she should be getting ready for food... shouldn't she?" he said, literally biting his fingers. 

"Stop worrying, I'm sure everything's fine" Silene said, trying to comfort him. 

Eventually, Sergio sat down next to the brunette and tried to contact his brother. He sent him a text to find out if he went to see Raquel this evening. 

Andres answered quickly: I went to see her after work. She was fine and asked me not to come because she was going to "take some woman's time" for you and that's her words, but don't tell her I told you, she'll resent me. 

Sergio was a little more reassured, so she was fine, and was probably taking a bath, while listening to music. And she hadn't taken her phone with her. That must have been it. He could well imagine her in the bath, and Sergio smiled. He was in such a hurry to get home. To be reunited with his girls... 

He was pulled out of his dreams by Silene's elbow. She laughed that he had worried for nothing and showed him that it was time for them to get on the plane. 

Three long hours later, Sergio and Silene arrived on Spanish soil. Running almost in the corridors, he turned on his phone to hope to see a message from Raquel.

But nothing. She had not replied to his texts. But he saw that she had seen them. What the fuck was going on? 

He almost stopped and tried to control his heartbeat. Something was wrong. He was sure something was wrong. He didn't make anything out and quickly took Silene through the airport, picked up their luggage and quickly ran to his car.   
He quickly dropped off Silene who had realized from his silence and the way he was speeding on the road that something was wrong. And lucky for them that there was nobody on the roads at that time of night because Silene was sure that Sergio would not have had his driver's license anymore. When she arrived home Silene hurried out and said: 

"Tell me what is going on, please. Keep me inform"

He had such a tight jaw that she thought he wasn't going to be able to talk. His fingers on the steering wheel were so white ... his forehead was wrinkled ... Silene really felt sorry for her brother. 

Sergio nodded his head and Silene let him go home. 

A few moments earlier in Sergio's and Raquel's apartment. 

Raquel was petrified. She couldn't move. He was there. At her door. When she had led her eyes on him, it was as if she was frozen on the spot. It was no longer possible to make a simple movement. He looked at her, as if nothing was wrong, as if it were normal. As if he hadn't destroyed her life months earlier. If Sergio hadn't been there, if Sergio hadn't shown her what True Love was, being a soul mate was.... Sergio. At the thought of her fiancée, she managed to put a protective hand on her belly, almost caressing their child. 

"Hola Raquel" he said as he stepped towards her. 

Raquel instinctively stepped back and strongly asked: 

"What are you doing here?" 

"I'm... Your mother called Laura and told her you were pregnant and actually soon to be married" he simply said, as if it was a good reason to come here. 

"And?" she dared to ask, still two feet away from him. 

"I wanted to see it by myself and-" she cut him off and said: 

"You saw me, that's it. Leave me alone now" Raquel responded and was now closing the door. 

Alberto put his foot in the doorway and let himself in. Raquel pulled back instinctively again and watched him with horror in her eyes. 

"It was as if you forgot everything about me, Quel". He said while getting into her apartment. 

He walked slowly towards her and she pulled back again until she felt the kitchen stool behind her thighs. She didn't leave her eyes on him while he was looking at everything, their furniture, their pictures.. everything in their home. She couldn't understand why she couldn't make a move. It was as if a part of her brain was telling her to get him out of here and another part reminding her everything he had done to her. But her body couldn't move at all. She was having flashbacks of all their fights from their marriage, and finally, her body was still petrified. She was still having a hand on her belly, protecting their child from this maniac. Then, her eyes were blank, lost in front of her, lost in her terrific memories. 

"I saw your fiancee is doing financially well". He was now checking their books and vinyl collections, and Raquel couldn't catch what he was exactly saying but she thought it was about Sergio, what he was doing in his life. He kept asking questions about him, but Raquel couldn't respond. 

When all of a sudden she felt her hand around her neck, clutching it. She came out quickly of her thoughts and looked at him in horror. She hung both hands on him, trying to get out of his grip. 

"You don't talk anymore? I remember you were more talkative when we were married. Remember when I used to reprimand you about the way you dressed, or the way you behaved towards your patients or my fucking colleagues? When you hit on them you slut?!!! You always had something to say. Now you don't say anything?!!! Your Sergio would have been able to succeed where I didn't..." he would shout at her, without her being able to answer. He held her so tight. 

He gently loosened her throat and spat in her face: 

"He must have done it, because look where you are. Expecting a bastard. Is he really the father by the way?" 

He continued to insult her with all kinds of names, mostly her being a slut. Raquel watched him spinning around and around in her kitchen, like a caged lion, insulting her family. 

Suddenly, Raquel took her strength in both of her hands and asked him: "Does Laura know you're here?" 

He was surprised by her question and said: 

"No, but I wouldn't have any problem telling her. She is very obedient.. unlike you". 

His words gave her the creeps. Knowing that her sister has to go through what she has gone through, even worse maybe... Raquel had tears in her eyes. For the first time that evening. Because the insults to her, to Sergio, or their child, it didn't matter. Coming from Alberto, that crazy, maniacal, degenerate bastard... nothing more coming out of his mouth could hurt them, could hurt her. But on the other hand, to know that her sister was being subjected to this guy, these words, these blows... Tears came quickly into her sight.

He kept talking. Well... to shout above all. Raquel didn't listen to him. Didn't want to listen to him. Nothing mattered anymore. As long as he didn't touch her baby he could do whatever he wanted. He shouted that she was going to get married, that she was going to have a baby with another man... that she had a new life without him, and obviously he was jealous. Alberto had always been possessive, and despite their divorce, he couldn't tolerate Raquel being happy at last, especially away from him. Time flew and Raquel couldn't how much time she spends on that stool listening to his horrible words. 

From time to time he would slap her, pull her hair, just to try to get her attention, because he could see that Raquel didn't listen to him, didn't want to. 

She saw for a moment that he had taken her phone and read her messages. Monica and Daniel had sent her a text saying that Monica might give birth in the next few days, she was feeling a bit odd. Alberto had shouted at her for reconnecting with her blonde friend, saying that she had always been a bad influence on her. 

Of course he had read all of Sergio's messages, from when he had warned her that he was leaving Dublin, to when he arrived and that he was very worried. Alberto made fun of him, finally insulted him for being weak, said that Raquel had finally trained him well and that he was a good dog. 

Andres had sent a message saying that Sergio was worried that she wasn't answering and Alberto had accused her of sleeping with her brother-in-law when he saw that their last messages were about how she was doing. 

Sergio was coming. He was coming and Raquel didn't know if she should be happy about it. Of course seeing him come back at home meant the end of this nightmare, and that he was going to take proper care of Alberto, see him in his living room and see what happened to him. But that was just the point. Raquel was afraid of Sergio's reaction. Afraid of what he was going to do to Alberto.

Sergio couldn't wait for the lift. He ran up the stairs and quickly reached their flat. He was immediately frozen by the screams from a voice he didn't know that he could hear a few meters from the door. In a fit of anger, he quickly came home and was struck by what was happening in front of him. 

A tall, dark-haired man was walking around in circles in his kitchen, exclaiming and even shouting with his arms up in the air at Raquel. He looked furious, and so angry, almost out of control. 

His wife was sitting on the stool in their kitchen, her eyes wide open towards the floor, both hands on her belly. Her hair was tousled, red marks on her cheeks, and above all, above all... Sergio saw dark when he saw the hand marks around her neck. 

Her beautiful and tender neck. 

Her beautiful and incredible body was bruised. 

This man maltreated his wife. 

This fucking bastard brutalized the woman of his life who was pregnant with their child. 

This monster dared to put his ugly and fucking hand on his fiancee and his baby. 

"Here he is, you must be Ser-" 

He didn't have time to finish his sentence when Sergio's dry and clenched fist tapped his left cheek very hard. 

Raquel came out of her dreams with his sentence. Sergio was there. Finally. But she didn't have time to say anything, that she saw her future husband jump directly to Alberto's throat with another direct blow to his face. At this surprise and strength, Alberto collapsed to the ground and Sergio rushed at him, hitting him in the face and the ribs with all his might. Raquel had never seen Sergio in such a state: he seemed so out of his mind, he kept shouting "you should never have touched them". Alberto tried to defend himself with his arms. He was trying to protect his face but Sergio's fists were everywhere. Blood came quickly to his fists and from Alberto's face as he kept on hitting him again and again. 

Even though seeing Alberto getting beating the shit out of him gave her malicious pleasure because he certainly deserved it, Raquel tried to put a hand tenderly on Sergio's shoulder to stop him, because at this rate, he was certainly killing him; Alberto wasn't moving anymore. 

Feeling his wife's skin against his own calmed him down a little. Sergio, out of breath, stopped and looked up at Raquel. He saw she was terrified. Of him? Because he had hit Alberto? He didn't know if she was afraid of his reaction or because of this man. 

"Sergio" she whispered, tears in her eyes. Sergio held his breath and got up from Alberto. He got to his feet and saw Raquel's tears finally fall from her beautiful eyes. 

"Are you ok?" he whispered, truly concerned about her well-being. She nodded her head, and seeing that she was less frightened, he put one hand on her arm and the other against her belly, asking her how their baby was. In response, she put one hand on his on her belly, confirming it was ok, and finally let emotions take over. The first shy tears that had fallen before were soon followed by more and more. 

"Please take me in your arms, please cariño" she begged. 

He didn't waste any more time and quickly took her in his arms, hugging her so tightly, while keeping one hand on her belly. He comforted her as best he could. But tried to comfort him too while having her safely in his arms. 

A few moments later in the hospital... 

Sergio has never left Raquel since the cops arrived at their home. She wouldn't let go of his arm and he wouldn't take his eyes off her. 

The policemen arrived and took Alberto away. Sergio had to take Raquel to the hospital to check that indeed everything was ok for her and the baby. Sergio had warned Silene, who had quickly warned the others as well, so they were now waiting in the waiting room to find out if everything was okay for both Raquel and the baby. The complaint against Alberto was going to be filed after they came to the hospital, so that the doctors would agree with the marks of violence on Raquel. Sergio had sworn that this time he would not let Raquel be humiliated in the eyes of justice. It was time for this little shit to pay for what he did to his wife. And those were his words. 

So now they were both in Raquel's room waiting for an obstetrician to arrive to do the ultrasound. They finally decided to bring the appointment forward because of the current situation. 

As soon as they were alone, Sergio took Raquel in his arms, sitting next to her in bed, rocking her tenderly. He kept kissing her everywhere, but mostly on the marks on her neck, as if his kisses will appease the ugly redness of Alberto's hands.   
She then explained to him what had happened, from the departure of Andres to his arrival.   
Raquel had perfectly felt Sergio's body stretching out every time she repeated what he had said or done to her. 

"Cariño, I'm fine, we're fine, and you arrived at the right time" she said, kissing his cheek tenderly as he looked lost before him. 

"I knew something was wrong... I should have come sooner... I should never have left" he said angrily. He was angry with him, with Andres for not keeping his promise, and especially with that bastard. 

"And what would you have done? Go faster than the plane? You had to leave, and I'm telling you that you arrived at the right time and you exactly knew what to do" He didn't answer but hugged her. 

"I love you so much Raquel... I don't know what I would have done if I lost you.. both of you. I was so scared" he confessed, as he took refuge into her neck. She stroked his hair, feeling tears into her neck. 

"I have been scared too. Having him before me, hearing all the things he said to me, about us, about our baby... but it didn't matter. And you know why? Because I knew you were coming. You were coming to save me from him. Again. Because you're my savior, my lover and my soul mate"

Sergio stood up, and whipped his tears. He looked at her tenderly before he said: 

"You are so brave. And I love you so much." 

He kissed her again, his heart a little lighter. He would be there for her again, always and forever. 

They were interrupted by the doctor who entered the room. The doctor apologized for interrupting this moment and quickly installed Raquel to do the ultrasound. After all, it was almost the morning and everyone was tired. The couple just wanted to hear that their child was healthy, go home and sleep in each other's arms for a long long long time. 

"So... let's see this baby... here we go," said the doctor as he applied the gel on Raquel's belly, under the couple's pressed eyes. "Do you want to know the sex of your baby by the way?" 

The two looked at each other lovingly and nodded their heads. They didn't want any surprises and wanted everything to be perfect. After a few minutes waiting for the verdict, the couple saw the doctor's eyes widen and he finally turned towards them: 

"Well, everything is perfect! Your babies are perfectly healthy! What happened earlier didn't affect them, look! They're sleeping!!" 

Sergio, who had held his breath, blew with happiness before shaking Raquel's hand, so reassured. They looked tenderly at the screen, where they saw the shape of their children, tenderly lodged in Raquel's belly. 

Raquel laughed with joy before she realized what the doctor had said. 

"What did you just say?" demanded Raquel, eyes widen too. Sergio didn't understand why Raquel asked that to the doctor with that tone. 

"I just said your babies are perfectly healthy", repeated the doctor, quite perplexed. 

"Raquel, everything is fine, our babies are-" said Sergio as he suddenly realized at his turn too. 

"Babies" they said at the same time, turning towards each other, completely lost. 

"You didn't know you were expecting twins?" asked the doctor. 

The doctor did not wait for the couple's answer since their faces spoke for them. 

"Your little girl and your little boy are perfectly healthy. But I see that the little boy is shy and is hiding behind his sister.." 

Sergio and Raquel looked at each other, completely shocked by this revelation. 

After maybe a minute or two, while they were still looking at each other and at the screen where they could observe their babies, Sergio and Raquel's tears streamed down their cheeks. And finally, Sergio, who was sitting next to Raquel, turned completely to her and said; 

"You never ceased to surprise me. I love you so much, I am the happiest man on earth" 

"I thought this was the worst night of my life for a long time, but it ended up being one of the most beautiful. I'm so in love with you Cariño..." she replied, as moved like him. 

And they hugged and kissed each other again and again. 

Under the embarrassed but happy eye of the doctor who was glad to have made a happy couple today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS IT !!! 
> 
> With a big surprise at the end !!! ;))) Our little Salva and Paula are coming <3
> 
> I have to say that I don't know when the next one shot will be posted, I'm sorry :/ But I will try to do my best.
> 
> Do you have any ideas for the next ???? 
> 
> Thanks again and see you soon <3
> 
> Big thanks to Luisa, my lovely drama queen <33 Love you honey.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! 
> 
> I know, it's been a while, but the final chapter is here! 
> 
> Is it the final chapter ? 
> 
> Probably, we don't know. 
> 
> I finalized this story, and I'm quite happy about it, I hope you'll like it too :) 
> 
> To Luisa, my most beautiful encounter here, love you babe <3

After the terrible event of Alberto, and especially the pleasant and so fantastic announcement of the arrival of twins in their family, Sergio and Raquel, especially Raquel, tried at best to act as if nothing had happened. She just wanted to live now that she knew Alberto couldn't do anything against her and her babies. 

Yes, Alberto had come back into her life and almost destroyed everything. Yes, he's an asshole, and will most certainly get a prison sentence. But she had just found out that she was going to have twins – a boy, and a girl, from the man she loved. A mini Sergio and a mini her, walking around their garden … So even though for a few weeks after the Alberto episode Raquel had been having nightmares, Sergio was there. He was there for her. Always. He was there to reassure her, he was there for their children. Even more than before. And that was exactly what she needed. Love, support, and even more Love. From both her friends and her lover.   
After what had happened, now he never took his eyes off her. They have never been apart since. 

On the way home from their house that evening, Monica's water broke. With the news of what had happened to Raquel and the fact that their friend was going to have twins, the surprise was such that she had given birth 24 hours later. Daniel had cried with joy in the arms of his friends. The little Cincinnati boy was born to the delight of parents and family friends - Andres and Martin laughed so hard at the originality of the name.   
The birth of the little blond boy with blue eyes and with his daddy's smile naturally made life much more cheerful for everyone. He was a beautiful child, very awake, smiling all the time. Daniel had even told Sergio that it was impossible now to say no to the future marriage of Cinci and his daughter... "Look at that Profe smile... she'll never manage not to succumb!" 

Cincinnati was born, Raquel and Sergio were going to have twins. Happiness couldn't have been greater. 

Sergio and Raquel, once things were a little more serene, decided to move quickly into their house as soon as possible. They really wanted to welcome their twins in the best possible conditions, and above all also because Raquel had difficulties to be in their apartment, although she had wonderful memories with Sergio, they were now overwhelmed by Alberto's one. 

For the arrival of the twins, everything had to be reviewed... and this time in duplicate. They had to buy again all the furniture, the clothes, the maternity items. Above all, they had to speed up the work on their house. Sergio dealt right away and negotiated with the workers, so much so that 1 month after the announcement, they finally moved into their big suburban house. 

On the first evening in their house, once they had settled in, they found themselves in their garden, sitting on the steps of their porch, watching what they had accomplished. Their house was a perfect reflection of who they were, the perfect combination of both their personalities. They both shared an office for work on the ground floor next to their large living room. A beautiful kitchen where Sergio could continue to cook good food for Raquel who was always very pregnant. A floor where there were 4 bedrooms: a large suite for them with their own bathroom, a room for each child, but while waiting for the babies to be a little older, they would stay in the nursery next to their room. And finally, a beautiful garden where Sergio and Raquel already imagined their children running around, playing together... 

"You know... we can't keep calling them our children," said Sergio as he gently ran his hand through his fiancée's hair. 

"Do you have any suggestions for their names? " said Raquel with a smile. 

"We can always look through our name lists, now we know there are two of them, and of both sexes, we can compare what we've put on them". 

It took them long hours to reach an agreement that evening. It was once in their new bed that they agreed on the names. Sergio had found the name for their son: Salvador. Salvador was his grandfather's name. Raquel had immediately said the name Paula for their girl, she had always said that if she ever had a daughter, she would name her like that.   
So they agreed: Paula and Salvador would soon join their lives in two months and they couldn't be more excited.

The next evening, their friends were all to come to celebrate Raquel and Sergio's new home. 

Everyone was present? 

No. 

One person was missing. 

The intercom for the gate rang and Raquel quickly went to open it for the last arrivals. Everyone was there and Sergio had almost finished the visit. They were finally in the twins' room when Raquel arrived with Martin behind her, hands on her hips. 

"Sergio," she asked very curtly. 

Daniel elbowed Anibal, ready to make fun of their friend, who was sure to receive a reprimand from the pregnant blonde. 

"Yes cariño?" said Sergio, then greeting Martin, delighted that he was there. 

"Can you explain to me why Andres isn't here, even though I've been asking you to go and see him for the last two weeks?" she said, still visibly angry. 

Sergio did not answer Raquel and he continued to explain to their friends how the twins would live in their bedroom, then showing the Lion King's color and decoration they have made together with Raquel.

"Am I dreaming or are you ignoring me right now?" said Raquel, very upset.

Alicia, Agata and Monica who was holding the little Cincinnati in her arms, looked at Raquel in amazement. It was extremely rare to see the couple quarreling... 

"Cariño... we've already talked about it..." said Sergio, embarrassed to have this kind of conversation in front of their friends. 

"He's your brother for God's sake," shouted Raquel, raising her hands in the air. 

"Well, that's the point! He hasn't been able to keep his promise to look after you," exclaimed Sergio as he walked out of the room. 

Silence. 

Everyone was looking at his feet, but didn't want to risk Raquel's wrath. Until Martin took the lead: 

"Never mind Raquel, Andres understands and-" she cut him off. 

"No, don't say that shit. It's not his fault, and this hard-headed man doesn't want to hear anything! I swear that if one of my children inherits this trait from the Marquina family....", swore Raquel as she set off in search of Sergio. Silene didn't dare to look up to Raquel... 

Raquel found him 5 minutes later in the backyard, head lowed, his hands in his pockets. 

"It's not a good move to make me walk around so much as I'm this fat-ass pregnant woman"

"You're not fat," he said, turning to her, sending her a thin smile. 

They looked at each other for a long time. And finally she smiled at him and went into his arms. She took refuge between his shoulder and his neck as he closed his arms around her. 

"You're stupid" she said. 

"No"

"Yes, you are"

"I hate fighting with you."

"We didn't fight." 

"You yelled at me." 

"Because you're stupid" 

He marked a pause and then said:

"We're back to the same point" 

"Yes, because you're stupid." 

He pushed her away from him a little and looked at her, amused.

"You have to go talk to him."

Sergio sighed and said: 

"I've already told you that I won't forgive what he did."

"Sergio... please"

"I made him promise to take care of my family, the only time I left. I begged him to take care of you. He couldn't do it." 

Raquel took her place in his arms and held him tightly. Remembering what happened was always difficult for her. 

"Cariño... Andres always checked up on me while you were away, he always came to see me and even called me. Everyday. He came 20 minutes before Alb.. well.. you know. And it was me who kicked him out. What happened is not Andres' fault". 

Sergio tightened it even more, and kissed tenderly the top of her head. 

"Call him and tell him to come over and join us. He is our family, he should be here" 

She broke free from his embrace and took his face in both hands while he was pouting. 

"Por favor, mi amor..." she said, gently placing her lips on his. 

Sergio let a few seconds pass, let her fiancé kiss him, and finally gave in. 

Raquel thanked him and kissed him harder. 

"I'll call him tomorrow" he said as he took her to their house. 

"Ah no cariño! Now!!!! You call him now!!" she exclaimed and stopped them. 

"You make me so weak..." he said smiling and took out his phone. 

Shortly afterward, while everyone was having a drink on the garden table, the gate bell rang again and Raquel showed Sergio the door with her eyes. He sighed and went to wait for his brother by the parked cars. 

He saw his brother's black Mercedes parked and Andres get out of his car. Sergio, even though he was angry with his brother, saw that sadness was marked in his brother's eyes. He looked pensive, sad and very affected. Andres went with his hands in his pockets next to Sergio who was leaning on Anibal and Silene's bike. 

"Hi Sergio"

Sergio didn't answer him right away. He was still thinking about their last discussion the very day after Raquel's stay in hospital. Sergio had seen Andres running towards him in the hospital and Sergio couldn't stop himself. Andres should have kept his promise and paid attention to his fiancée, at least, for Sergio, as he had promised him. And so he had shouted at him, blaming him for everything. Andres didn't know how to answer and left without saying anything, believing his brother was angry and wanted someone to pay for it. After that, Andres and Sergio had seen each other several times, especially when Cinci was born, or in the evenings when they had seen each other with friends in Hanoi or at home, but they had never spoken to each other since. 

"Listen Sergio... I'm sorry. I should have insisted when Raquel didn't answer... I never thought something like this could happen."

Sergio still looked at his feet, hands in his pockets. They were both side by side against the bike, looking at their feet. It might have been funny if the reason for their fight wasn't so serious. 

"Believe me when I tell you that I had no idea what was going on and if I had known, I would have been there. Take care of her and your children, just like I promised."

Silence. 

"I know," Sergio simply said. "I think I wanted to put the blame on someone. Knowing that I'm the one who messed it up."

"What are you talking about?" Andres demanded, standing up. 

"This motherfucker would never have touched a hair on Raquel's head if I hadn't left."

"Stop it Sergio, it's not your fault". Andres stood in front of his brother. 

"Well, it's true. I'm going to be a father in a few weeks and I can't even take care of my children and my wife... what kind of father would I be? So subconsciously I put the blame on you Andres, I'm sorry", said Sergio, fighting against the tears that were threatening to run down his eyes as he looked at his brother. 

Andres looked at him in disbelief. 

"Do you really mean what you say, Sergio?

"Yes. I'm going to be so pathetic..." 

"You're unbelievable" Andres said laughing. Sergio looked up at his brother, he didn't understand anything. 

"You're crying because you're afraid you'll be a bad father to your children? Sergio... brother... you're already worried while they're not even here yet! You've bought a magnificent house, you've speeded up the hard work to be able to welcome them in the best possible conditions! Look at what you've achieved! And need I remind you that you have a fantastic future wife who will help you to raise them? You are soul mates Sergio. You love each other. I can already guarantee you.. your daughter will make you pull your hair because a lot of boys will be at your door to woo her, and I'm sure she will be a Raquel lookalike, you will have so much gray hair! And your boy will look so much like you that we will see double all the time, and if he is as much of a pain in the ass as you were... good luck my brother. But Sergio... You've got Raquel with you. Your children will be raised in love. I can guarantee it". 

Sergio didn't know what to say. Tears were streaming down his face. He took a deep breath and finally threw himself into the arms of his brother who welcomed him joyfully. The two men hugged each other, happy to have found each other again, and above all, for the younger one, happy to have had his mind in peace thanks to his brother who has always been a kind of surrogate father. 

While they were still in each other's arms, Silene's voice surprised them: 

"Dumb and Dumber, are you coming or are you planning to kiss your ass for a long time to come?" 

Andres and Sergio relaxed, laughed at what the brunette had told them and finally headed home. Andres tapped his little brother on the shoulder: 

"So, I want to know everything about the work on this house and where my favorite niece and nephew are going to be raised...". 

Raquel had become very visibly pregnant. It was as if, as soon as they were told they were expecting twins, they decided to be shown off. 

But unlike Monica, she didn't care that she couldn't fit into her jeans anymore, because she had two children growing inside her. She was extremely proud of what Sergio and her accomplished. So she loved being pregnant, really. Even with 25kg overweight. 

She had stopped working. Even though her work wasn't tiring in the sense that she was sitting and not doing "hard work" per se, it was still demanding work that required a lot of attention. So, after a meeting with Monica, Raquel decided to take her maternity leave at 5 weeks from the end of her pregnancy, and to wait. Sergio couldn't, so Raquel spent all her days alone in their new house, decorating the rooms, rearranging furniture, doing a bit of housework, but above all a lot of resting on the sofa. With a Sergio jogging suit and nothing but a bra, she was lying on the couch on her back. 

Waiting. 

Everyday.

Waiting for what? 

The arrival of her children at best, or her future husband. 

She could have prepared their wedding, but she wanted to fit perfectly into her dress. And Sergio also wanted to be involved in the wedding preparations. 

So she waited. 

A backache, very often, punctuated her days. Sometimes headaches. Sometimes vomiting, because it seemed that Paula and Salva were already playing a lot in there. 

So she waited. 

A lot. 

What about their friends? 

Monica and Daniel were extremely busy with Cinci. 

Silene and Ani spent a lot of time together. As if the arrival of new members in the group made them grow and review their priorities and especially their desires. Well.. especially for the brunette. 

Agata and Alicia were also busy with the gallery. 

Martin and Andres were on a new architectural project outside Madrid. 

She didn't want to bother her mother. 

And Sergio? 

Well, Raquel didn't know why, but she felt him distant.   
For a few days now he had been away a lot. He would leave early in the morning and come back late at night. Not that she doubted him, because she knew he loved her, but it was strange coming from him. He was always by her side, rarely leaving her alone and now it was as if they had become roommates. He spent a lot of time at work and she spent a lot of time alone. So maybe her hormones were playing tricks on her, and having as only company her thoughts.. were not good for her and their relationship. But it was weird. Sergio didn't spend any more time with her, always outside. And he didn't say anything to her anymore. He would come home tired, kiss her on the forehead, eat the leftovers in the fridge, take a shower and go to bed with the last one kiss.   
She missed him.

Raquel was not used to this behavior and decided to talk about it with her friends. 

Maybe she shouldn't do that. Or at least, not talk to Alicia and Agata... 

"So Sergio is cheating on you," said Alicia while eating chips. 

Alicia and Agata were on the sofa opposite Raquel's. 

"No. I'm not saying that! I'm just saying for a few days, he's weird" said the blonde, not letting go of the cookies she had in her hands. 

"Your man's leaving early, comes home late. Don't spend any more time with you... don't talk to you...." Agata listed what was wrong. 

"Are you still having sex?" Alicia asked. 

Raquel continued to eat while nodded positively. 

"Maybe he's a little scared of parenthood..." Agata asked. 

"Or maybe he's cheating on you," said Alicia. She won an elbow in the ribs from Agata when she saw that Raquel was beginning to believe what she was saying. 

"Do you really mean it?" Raquel asked, with tears in her eyes. 

"NO! Alicia doesn't mean a single thing she said! He's not cheating on you," Agata cried, cursing now the redhead. 

"You have to admit that his behavior is strange" said Alicia, turning to Agata. 

"I'm sure Sergio isn't cheating on you" said Agata resolutely. But Alicia's words were now ingrained in Raquel's head. "Hey ho!! Raquel! Come on!! We are talking about Sergio here??? The guy who's going to marry you, is going to give you two kids in less than a year???? The one who would kill for you??!!" Agata cried out in front of the bullshit that Alicia had made Raquel believe. 

"But Sergio is still a man above all" finished Alicia by eating the last chips. 

After this little meeting with her friends, Raquel became even more fearful and tried to notice any little things that might tell her "he's cheating on me".

He spent all his time at work. At weekends he would sometimes leave for hours without telling her where he was going. He received messages a little too often for her liking. 

On this day, she asked Monica something about her coming back for work after her pregnancy, and Raquel found out that Andres and Daniel had gone to pick up a piece of furniture for Cinci. Raquel was surprised and asked where Sergio was since he had said to her an hour earlier he had to check something with his brother. Monica innocently replied that she hadn't seen Sergio all day. 

He said to her that he was with Andres. 

This was probably the event that started to seriously doubt Sergio's sincerity. 

Raquel hated herself very much for what she was going to do, but it was the only way to ease her mind.

She had waited for Sergio to go to the shower to look into his mobile phone the same night. 

His last messages were with an "Ines". At that name, Raquel's heart broke. She went back up the conversation, so she could read: 

Sergio: Thanks for today. I'm very glad you're patient with me, it's hard for me and I'm a bit clumsy.. see you soon? 

Ines: You were in great shape tonight, but you were quite slow. Check your cardio. 

Sergio: I won't be able to come tomorrow, Raquel will suspect something. 

Ines: Don't worry, you can always watch our videos again ;) 

Ines: we won't be able to meet at my place tomorrow. But you can come to the studio around noon. Even if it's at my place of work, no one will mind. 

Raquel dropped the phone. Her eyes filled with tears, her mouth open. So he cheated on her. That was it. She didn't have time to assimilate what she had just discovered that she heard Sergio coming out of the shower.   
She rolled over in bed and pretended to be asleep as soon as she felt him lying in the bed. She felt his kiss on her shoulder which she found repulsive and Sergio said, "Good night my loves". 

She let him take her in his arms and caressed their children. All she wanted was to push him away. With all her strength. She felt his breathing calm down and he fell asleep quickly. 

Raquel didn't close her eyes all night. 

During those hours, she went through all the stages: sadness, anger, denial, and even more anger. She couldn't believe what she had read, but she had indeed read those messages. So he cheated on her. Did they make videos together? What kind of creep he was? He was too slow? Too clumsy? She kept having these thoughts which made her vomited. How could she trust so easily for him? Everything they had for the past months was now over. 

The morning came quickly, and Raquel had only one desire: to catch Sergio in the act.   
As he had done so much during the last weeks, he went to work. So Raquel had all the morning to plan for unmasking him. She would go to that place, caught him cheating on her, and tell him that it was all over between them. He was a liar, a coward, a cheater. He will so regret to cheat on her... She had sworn she would destroy him. 

So, instead of going to his pregnant wife and eating with her, he was going to join her mistress at her workplace ... Luckily she had put the address afterward. 

All morning, Raquel had walked back and forth in their living room. She had decided that he was going to leave their house. He wouldn't have custody of the twins. 

How could she have fallen for it? 

Men were all the same. They were all bastards, cowards, cheaters. She should never have fallen in love so quickly. Everything was too beautiful. Sergio was too perfect to be true. He had hidden his game so well... Raquel wanted to punch herself so much... She quickly dried her tears of anger. 

Raquel took her car and arrived quickly at the cheat-scene. She had arrived at a professional dance studio. So Sergio cheated on her with a dancer. A fit, beautiful, thin woman, and certainly not 8 months pregnant!   
She was so blinded by anger that she didn't close her car behind her and quickly entered the studio. 

At the reception desk, she asked for an Ines, and the nice young lady guided her to studio number 2. 

"Funny, because that's the number of how many children you have taken their father away from," thought Raquel, determined to go and meet the one who stole her future husband's heart. 

She knocked on the door and heard a "come in". Raquel didn't wait for the end of the sentence as she came in. 

The studio was huge and very classy. There was a very thin wooden floor, a mirror that made the whole wall and a stretch bar against the other two walls. 

A beautiful tall brunette was in the middle of the room. She was wearing a jogging suit, a sports bra and was barefoot. Long brown hair put in a bun above her head. Long endless legs. Endless. Beautiful abs. A dazzling smile. Piercing blue eyes. Beautiful features. 

She saw herself in the mirror opposite: very pregnant, her hair not quite clean, her eyes red and swollen, her man's shirt on her back and his sweatpants. 

No wonder her cheater succumbed. This woman was straight out of a fashion magazine. 

Raquel quickly got her mind back on things and approached without saluting. 

"Oh hello! I thought I was going to see Sergio, but I find myself face to face with Mrs. Sergio" she said with a smile. She was really beautiful, even more closed, thought Raquel. "I'm Ines, I've heard so much about you, it's great to finally meet you". 

The infamous Ines quickly took a stunned Raquel in her arms as she didn't know what to say. What kind of mistress greeted her man's wife like that? She thought. 

After a short hug, Ines pushed herself back and continued to stretch. 

"What can I do for you?" 

"Do you know me?" Raquel dared to ask while still looking at her suspiciously. 

"I recognized you right away. Sergio showed me some photos. And I even have the impression of knowing you because he only talks about you, you know," she said, while continuing to stretch. 

Weird, thought Raquel. Did he talk about me with his mistress? She thought. 

"It must be hard to have two children growing up inside you... How is the end of the pregnancy going? Sergio told me that you are very tired. How are Salva and Paula??" she asked so nicely. 

That's really weird, kept thinking Raquel. What did she want to know about the well-being of my children? 

"What are you and Sergio talking about?" Raquel asked. 

"Mostly about you. He only wants to talk about you and your children anyway, he is a proud future husband and daddy" she laughed. 

Raquel didn't have time to say anything, she continued: 

"By the way, does he know you're here?" She was so nice, Raquel wanted to strangle her even more. 

"He doesn't know that I know," Raquel replied. 

"He's going to be very disappointed," she said, stopping to stretch. "It was supposed to be a surprise you know". 

Well... I was really surprised, Raquel thought. 

She didn't have time to say how she felt when the door opened and Sergio, in grey jogging pants and a white T-shirt, walked in without looking up. He put his gym bag down at the entrance and took off his shoes. 

"Hi Ines, I can only do one hour for lunch today, is it ok for-" and Sergio looked up to find Raquel. Next to Ines. He stopped in chocked and didn't know what to say. 

"Surprise" Raquel said simply, crossing her arms. 

Sergio got up, slowly. 

Raquel's gaze spoke volumes. Anger, disappointment, sadness, and still so much anger. Sergio was scared. Really scared. What was she thinking now? 

"What are you doing here?" Sergio asked in a small and trembling voice. 

"You shouldn't have conversations with your mistress on your phone and not delete it after". 

"Raquel, it's not what you think" Sergio cried out very quickly as he got closer. Ines didn't move aside, shocked by the words of the pregnant woman. 

Raquel stepped back, tears streaming down her cheeks. She continued to move back, refusing to let him come closer. 

"You betrayed me Sergio. You betrayed us. I don't want to see you again, do you hear me? DONT COME CLOSE TO ME" Raquel cried. 

"Raquel! Listen to me!" But Raquel didn't want to hear it and kept crying. 

Until she felt water running between her thighs. Great, I'm pissing my pants during that moment, she thought, cursing herself. 

"Raquel???? You broke your water," cried Sergio. 

"Huh?" she said, and lowered her gaze. Oh shit. This was really not the time.... 

She tried to land on the ground, while Ines went to the reception to call the ambulances at Sergio's strong request. 

Sergio tried to approach her, but Raquel threatened not to come near her: "You cheater!! I don't want your dirty paws on me!!!"

Raquel tried to push him away with all her might, but she was about to give birth to her husband's mistress' workplace for god's sake! She was crying and felt so miserable right now. 

Sergio let her scream until he couldn't listen to her bullshits anymore and knew she was losing her energy for nothing. 

"DAMN IT RAQUEL! Are you going to listen to me ????" he shouted and Raquel automatically fell silent.

"Stop shouting for nothing, Salva and Paula are coming right now!" 

"You cheated on me, you fucking bastard!" Raquel whispered, wiping her eyes and already feeling cramps in her stomach. 

"I didn't cheat on you babe. Ines is my dance coach. I've been taking dance lessons for some time now for our first dance for our wedding" he said, kneeling next to her. Raquel felt silent. 

"I don't understand a word you're saying, and I don't want to" demanded Raquel as she felt the first contractions and God knows it hurts. She greeted her teeth and let him speak anyway because... well her babies were coming. 

"I met Ines in Hanoi. She heard I was crying that I was ruining our wedding because I can't dance being sober. She offered to help me and I obviously accepted" said Sergio, laughing as Raquel let herself be taken by the hand by him. 

"You mean you're not cheating on me?" She let him be closed to her but still having second thoughts.

"Why would I cheat on you? I love you Raquel... I love the three of you. Haven't you understood that yet?" Sergio had tears streaming down on his cheeks: he was trying to understand how such thoughts could have gone through his head, especially with all that they had experienced together. 

Raquel looked at him suspiciously. Ines arrived then, running and kneeling next to them. 

"They are on the way, they should be here in 5!! Are you ok Raquel?" asked Ines. She seemed very worried for a mistress, Raquel thought. 

"Ines, please, tell Raquel I'm not cheated on her with you", pleaded Sergio. Ines looked at Raquel with big eyes. She seemed stunned by the accusations. 

"What? I'm-.. Well. I met your husband a few weeks ago. He said to his friend that he didn't know how to dance without being sober. So I proposed my help. And that's it" simply said Ines. "And I'm happily married by the way" added Ines by pointing her ring at her finger. 

A silence fell as they both watched Raquel see any reaction. Then Sergio saw Raquel's reaction when she finally realized that it was all a mistake. Eyes wide open, the mouth followed the movement and the panic in her eyes. 

"Oh my God Sergio. I'M GIVING BIRTH NOW?" screamed Raquel as she fiercely took Sergio's hand. 

"Do you believe me?" pleaded Sergio, still hurting that she might still think he was cheating on her. 

"Of course I believe you!!! My god it hurts!!!" Raquel screamed again and again as Sergio was now relieved that the misunderstood was over. 

"I'm here for you mi amor!" he hugged her against his chest and Raquel tried to breathe through the pain. 

Raquel begged him to kiss her to appease the pain. And Sergio happily agreed. He tried to appease her until the rescues came in and took Raquel in charge...

EPILOGUE. 

A few moments later at the hospital... 

Sergio was going back and forth between his wife, was about to give birth, and his friends who were waiting for news. He was running like a crazy man, while the nurses told him to calm down, but he couldn't. He was going to be a father! 

"OK THE DOCTOR SAYS SHE'S ENOUGH DILATED, PAULA SHOULD GO OUT FIRST AND SALVA AFTER" and he would run away again, under the amused eye of his friends.

Daniel and Monica were watching Cinci's reactions as he looked at his uncle strangely. Andres and Martin were pacing up and down, just like Silene who was waiting for the babies of their family to arrive. Anibal was waiting impatiently with 2 big cuddly toys. And Agata and Alicia were getting very small in the corner of the hall. 

Shortly after their arrival at the hospital, the big smile on their faces came down quickly when Sergio took them aside; 

"I'm not cheating on my wife. I would never cheat on Raquel. Instead of putting ideas like that into the head of a woman who is 8 months pregnant, come and talk to me. And you would have known that I was going to surprise her. I was having dance lessons for Gods' sake!". 

Since then, Sergio was going back and forth, until they came only 2 hours later announcing that his little girl had been born, that she was beautiful and that she was already the spitting image of her mother. Then, he informed them that Raquel had some complications for Salva, but 3 hours later their little boy was there too. 

They were finally there. Their 2 perfect babies. Salva and Paula. 

A few hours later, the friends entered Raquel's room once she was well-rested. 

They saw a small blonde head nestled in the arms of Sergio who was sitting next to Raquel while Raquel had a tiny blackhead in her arms. They walked towards them without making a sound. Happiness radiated in the couple's smiles and eyes. Andres and Martin cried, as did Silene who went straight to Sergio, ready to see their beautiful babies. Paula was indeed a true replica of Raquel while Salva looked so much like Sergio, but he had his mother's nose.

Cinci was so surprised to see two other babies, Anibal didn't dare get too close for fear of hurting them. Daniel kept saying that his future daughter-in-law was beautiful. Monica kept complimenting the babies, as did Agata and Alicia who, after apologizing to the couple, ended up taking the babies in their arms. 

As the days went by, the babies' personalities revealed themselves. Paula was more dominant over Salva who was very shy. Paula showed more obvious signs of awakening than her brother and was a real little girl to her daddy. Salva preferred her mother's reassuring breasts. He was calm, almost never cried... unlike his sister. 

Sergio took his role as a father very seriously. He now lived only for his children and fortunately for his wife. 

Moreover, the episode of Ines made him laugh a lot now, and Raquel was always very embarrassed to have imagined such a thing and above all spoiled the surprise. 

Once, Raquel came out of the bath and found herself facing a scene so adorable that she couldn't help but take a picture of it and it became her new phone wallpaper. She was going to post this picture everywhere: from her desk at work to the fridge in the kitchen.

Sergio was lying in the middle of the bed, visibly tired from sleeping. No glasses on his nose, just jeans without a shirt on. On one side he had little Salva, who had nested his head tenderly in his neck, and on the other Paula, who was holding her daddy's neck tightly with her two arms. Sergio was holding his children so tightly to prevent them from slipping.   
There was nothing more beautiful for Raquel than to see the three most important people in her life in that cute scene. 

While they had planned to have a big wedding and a big ceremony, they simply decided to say yes to each other in their garden with their family and closest friends the following summer. 

It was a beautiful and sunny day. Sergio had put on black linen trousers, a simple white shirt and unbuttoned 2 buttons. Raquel had a beautiful white dress, very simple but accentuated her curves. Andres did the ceremony. Marivi had escorted her daughter to her favorite son-in-law. Cinci was energetic and never stopped clowning around with his parents, Paula, who was helped by Silene and Martin, threw the flowers, Salva, helped by Agata and Alicia, brought the rings to his parents.   
They said yes under the smiles and tears of joy of their family. Sergio perfectly managed the first dance with his wife, who was waiting patiently for it: mission accomplished. 

Finally.

Did they had their happily ever after? 

Mostly yes. 

There was a lot of arguing, as in all couples. But they were very very happy, and always more in love with each other every day of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IS IT OVER FOR ME?
> 
> No. 
> 
> I may be writing a new Serquel AU...
> 
> Is it about super-powers, wtf moments, totally crazy, inspired by a lot of universes? Maybe... 
> 
> Thank you so much for having made it this far <3 
> 
> See you (very?) soon !

**Author's Note:**

> ET VOILA. I hope you like it ?
> 
> If you have any suggestions, please let me know! I'm thinking of posting 1 or 2 chapters a week, but I don't want to rush things. 
> 
> Thank you :)))))))))))


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